The  Lure 
of  the  Land  M 


A   call  to  Lon^  Islancl 


r.^^'^'i. 


271259 


The  Lure  of  the  Land 

(FOURTH  EDITION) 


The  History  of  a  Market-Garden  and 

Dairy  Plot  Developed  within  eight  months  upon  Long  Island's 

Idle  Territory,  long  designated  as  "Scrub  Oak 

Waste,"  and  "Pine  Barrens" 


Being  a  true  story  of  the  work  carried  on  by  the  Long  Island 

Railroad  Co.  at  Experimental  Stations  Numbers  One 

and  Two,  to  which  in  the  Second  Edition 

was  added  the  Aftermath 


By  EDITH  LORING  j^ULLERTON 

Author  of  "How  to  Make  a  Vegetable  Garden" 

Editor  of  "The  Long  Island  Agronomist" 


Published  by 

Long  Island  Railroad  Company 

Long  Island,  New  York 
1912 


Copyright,  1906-1909-1911-1912 
Long  Island  Railroad  Compaiiy 


Printed  by 

The   Stone   Ptg.   and   Mfg.   Company 

Roanoke,  Virginia 


Preface 

Second    K  ■  "^HE  large  first  edition  of  "The  Lure  of  the  Land"  has  been  exhausted  for  some  time. 
Edition        I         As  requests  for  the  book  come  with  nearly  every  mail,  the  management  of  the 
-*■        railroad  has  decided  to  issue  another  edition. 

There  have  been  no  changes  in  the  book  beyond  the  correction  of  typographical  errors, 
obscure  points  made  more  definite,  and  the  addition  of  one  chapter  entitled  "Aftermath,"' 
which  tells  of  the  further  success  of  the  Long  Island  Railroad  Company's  Experimental 
Station  No.  1,  and  a  brief  outline  of  the  development  and  equally  great  success  of  its 
Experimental  Station  No.  2. 

I  wish  here  to  thank  the  many  people  from  many  climes  who  have  written  me  such 
delightful  letters  of  appreciation,  and  to  those  whom  "The  Lure  of  the  Land"  really  lured 
to  Long  Island,  I  wish  God  Speed. 

Edith  Loring  Fullerton. 

October  24th,   1909. 

"Prosperity  Farm" 

Long  Island  Railroad  Company's 

Experimental  Station  No.  2 

Medford,  Long  Island 

Third  P.  S.     (A  Woman's  Acknowledged  Privilege).    I  cannot  resist  adding  a  word  regard- 

Edition  ing  this  reprint  of  the  second  edition  which  has  been  made  necessary  by  continued  re- 
quests.    The  buildings  referred  to  in  the  final  pages  are  now  completed  and  the  plans 
have  become  a  reality.     A  hearty  welcome  awaits  all  who  care  to  come  and  see  us. 
Summer,  Nineteen  Eleven.  E.  L.  F. 

Fourth  P.  S.     The  trite  saying  "Nothing  succeeds  like  success"  seems  to  be  forcibly  upheld 

Edition  by  the  continued  demand  for  "The  Lure  of  the  Land"  and  the  consequent  issuing  of  this 
fourth  edition. 

The  Experimental  Stations  have,  in  these  seven  years,  achieved  their  object,  for  Long 
Island  is  reinstated  as  a  famous  dairy  country.  It  held  high  place  among  dairying  sections 
until  some  twenty  years  ago  when  the  dairy  farms  suddenly  became  popular  as  estates  and 
suburban  residences.  The  past  year  the  Experimental  Station's  Dairy,  and  others  on  the 
Island,  have  won  State  and  National  fame  for  high  scores  in  Butter  and  Milk.  Our  Gold 
Finch  Butter  this  fall  won  the  unequaled  score  of  99>^. 

Orcharding,  Grape  and  Berry  Culture,  Poultry  Plants,  Market  Gardening  and  Green- 
houses are  increasing  on  the  Island  at  a  remarkable  rate.  Orcharding  in  particular  is 
coming  back  to  the  place  of  pre-eminence  which  it  held  from  Colonial  days  up  to  a  decade 
ago. 

Perhaps  the  Railroad  tonnage  speaks  louder  than  any  other  voice  of  the  success  of 
Mr.  Ralph  Peters  undertaking  with  the  Experimental  Stations  for  they  have  been  the 
cause  of  trebling  the  tonnage  of  Agricultural  Products  in  the  past  three  years. 

The  Alfalfa  crop  this  year  reaches  the  high  mark  of  6^  tons  per  acre,  while  a  yield  of 
143^  bushels  of  shelled  corn  per  acre,  puts  the  Island  in  a  class  all  by  itself. 

Thousands  of  settlers  have  come  to  the  Island  through  the  work  of  the  Stations  and 
their  publications.  It  is  with  a  grateful  heart  I  say  not  one  of  them  has  failed  though 
many  have  braved  the  storms  incident  to  embarking  in  a  new  business.  May  Peace, 
Plenty,  and  Prosperity  attend  them  all. 

Edith  Loring  Fullerton. 
"Prosperity  Farm" 
October  24th,  1912. 


Alfalfa. 


its  Nitrogen  Noduled   Roots  and  Bagging  Soil  to  Furnish 
our  Neighbors  Bacterial  Inoculation 


"Scrub   Oal<   Waste,"   the   Raw  Material,    1905 


Foreword 


WHEN  Mr.  Ralph  Peters  became  President  of  the  Long  Island  Railroad,  his  inspection  tours 
of  the  Island  showed  him  much  to  be  done,  and  most  forcibly  was  brought  before  him  the 
fact  that  the  vast  acreage  of  idle  land,  especially  in  Suffolk  County  (the  easterly  half  of 
the  Island),  must  be  developed  for  its  own  sake  and  for  that  of  its  railroad. 

Many  thrifty  produce  farms,  dotted  here  and  there  in  the  midst  of  this  wilderness,  together  with 
the  vast  quantity  and  high  quality  of  vegetables  and  fruit  grown  in  the  section,  showed  plainly  that 
the  land  now  lying  idle,  much  of  it  untaxed  because  it  had  been  burned  over  so  often,  could  be  developed 
into  market  gardens,  fruit  orchards,  vmeyards,  and  dairies. 

As  "the  proof  of  the  pudding  is  in  the  eating,"  and  as  practical  demonstration  is  vastly  superior 
to  written  statements,  the  President  determined  to  establish  Experimental  Stations  at  various  points 
on  the  Island  and  give  to  the  public  the  results  of  the  work;  the  object  being  to  prove  that  the  unde- 
veloped territory  of  Long  Island,  for  years  designated  as  "Scrub  Oak  Waste"  or  "Pine  Barrens"  was 
maligned,  and  would,  when  given  the  opportunity,  produce  good  crops  of  high  quality. 

The  w^ork  of  this  development  was  given  into  Mr.  FuUerton's  hands,  and  I,  being  favored  beyond 
most  women,  have  been  his  "full  partner"  in  the  intensely  interesting  and  valuable  work. 

It  has  included  the  daily  records  of  riot  only  ordinary  farm  operations,  but  details  of  victory  or 
defeat  in  the  fight  with  injurious  insects  and  diseases,  the  quantity  of  crops  gathered,  their  packing 
and  shipping;  the  growing  of  all  valuable  vegetables  native  to  the  temperate  zone,  as  well  as  many  from 
China,  Japan,  and  the  Southern  States,  never  before  grown  in  this  latitude;  the  receiving  and  entertain- 
ing of  many  distinguished  "Foreign"  guesta  as  well  as  the  Island  neighbors  and  workers,  investigators, 
and  experts  in  the  tilling  of  the  soil. 

It  included  a  daily  weather  report,  made  with  tested  Government  thermometers  and  rain  guage, 
and  conducted  under  Government  regulations;  together  with  the  photographic  record  of  every  step 
of  the  work. 

These  records  have  at  all  times  been  open  to  the  public  and  have  been  inspected  by  eminent  agri- 
culturists in  both  National  and  State  employ,  editors  of  many  agricultural  periodicals,  besides  laymen 
in  various  callings. 


The  frequeHt'Critici^ra'Ol'tke  farm  .has  been  that  a  man  of  small  means  could  not  go  and  do  like- 
wise. That  is  an  unfaiV  an^  unlust'critids'ih*  We  have  accomplished  in  one  year  what  a  man  may 
take  several  in  doing;  there  is  nothing  from  the  simple  five-roomed  portable  house  to  the  5,000  gallon 
tank  that  a  man  in  moderate  circumstances  cannot  have,  and  if  his  means  warrant  he  may  have  much 
more  than  the  Experimental  Station  possesses. 

In  proving  that  this  land  could  raise  3S0  varieties  of  plant  growth,  the  income  from  crops  was 
materially  cut  down  because  this  meant  small  plots  of  a  variety.  It  has  paid  Long  Island  in  giving  it 
an  agricultural  impetus  already  beneficial.  It  will  show  a  man  who  is  launching  in  this  new  business 
just  how  much  produce  of  each  certain  type  was  raised  on  a  given  space;  it  has  paved  the  way  for  him, 
made  some  of  his  mistakes  for  him  against  which  he  will  guard,  and  given  him  the  encouragement  the 
beginner  sorely  needs.  Giving  to  the  public  these  proofs  of  the  land's  fertility  in  two  County  Fairs  has 
materially  reduced  the  Farm's  income,  for  the  greater  part  of  the  force  was  for  three  weeks  taken  from 
regular  operations  that  the  showing  might  be  as  complete  and  attractive  as  possible. 

It  has  been  said,  "Oh,  of  course  the  Railroad  hauls  everything  free  of  charge  for  its  own  Farm. 
How  can  you  tell  what  it  would  cost  an  outsider?"  The  Farm  has  paid  freight  and  express  on  all  its 
products,  both  to  and  from  the  Farm  and  knows  just  what  it  would  cost  another  man  to  do  the  same 
thing.  It  has  lived  the  "simple  life"  as  far  as  was  possible  with  the  educational  work  it  was  created  to 
accomplish.  All  supplies  were  as  cheap  as  true  economy  would  permit,  for  nothing  is  cheap  that  does 
not  wear  well. 

In  brief,  the  Farm  stands  to-day  on  its  first  birthday  where  many  men  would  place  it  in  ten  years 
or  even  a  lifetime.  That  others  may  do  likewise,  or  even  exceed  the  resulcs  in  the  same  brief  space  of 
time,  goes  without  saying;   that  is  .simply  a  matter  of  personal  equation. 

EDITH  LORING  FULLERTON 

September    Tth,    1906 

"Peace  and  Plenty" 

Long  Island  Railroad  Co.'s 

E.xperimental  Station  No.   1 

Wading  River,   Long  Island 


The  "Junior  Partner"  Blowing  Stumps  by   Batttry 

Selection  and  Clearing 


EARLY  in  August,  1905,  the  following  message  came  from  Mr.  Peters:  "Find  the  worst  ten  acres 
on  the  North  Shore  upon  which  to  establish  Experimental  Station  No.  1."  "Why  does  he 
want  the  worst  piece?"     I  at  once  asked. 

"Because  he  don't  want  everj'one  to  say,  '0,  well,'  you  have  known  the  Island  for  years 
and  of  course  you  could  pick  up  the  very  best  piece  there  was  anywhere.'  " 

"I  see — and  how  are  you  going  to  prove  to  the  dear  public  that  it  was  the  worst  piece  after  we 
get  through  with  it?" 

"0,  I  have  a  little  scheme  up  my  sleeve,"  replied  the  Senior  Partner,  and  I  was  fully  satisfied, 
for  little  schemes  up  his  sleeve  always  grow  larger  as  they  come  down  and  positively  burst  as  they  drop 
out. 

We  traveled  the  '  Mountain  Division,"  as  the  North  Shore  branch  is  lovingly  termed,  for  many 
days.  Our  project  seemed  doomed,  for  no  one  would  sell  a  paltry  ten  acres;  talk  about  hundreds  or 
thousands  or  whole  farms  and  they  might  listen  (but  now  that  is  all  changed).  Finally  two  plots  were 
located,  1  at  Rocky  Point  of  the  desired  area,  and  1  at  Wading  River  of  18  acres.  Rocky  Point  had 
some  very  fine  standing  trees,  while  the  Wading  River  plot  was  a  slice  out  of  the  most  desolate  burned 
over  "waste"  mind  can  picture.  Scarcely  a  live  standing  tree,  except  along  the  northern  boundary  and 
the  northeast  corner,  and  these  were  scarred  and  charred  second  and  third  growth  oak  and  chestnut. 

Photographs  were  taken  of  both  plots  and  submitted  to  the  President.  We  told  him  that  the 
native  Long  Islanders  assured  us  that  the  Wading  River  plot  was  the  "no  goodest"  piece  of  land  to 
be  found. 

"How  much  soil  will  we  find?"  we  had  queried,  and  they  replied: 

"Well,  if  you  find  6  inches  you'll  be  doing  well.     Besides  that  it's  cold  and  it's  sour." 

On  August  19th  word  came  that  the  Wading  River  plot  had  been  purchased,  and  on  the  23d  the 
preliminaries  had  been  settled  and  we  could  start  work  at  once. 

0,  days  of  our  Forefathers!  Start  work  in  the  wilderness  a  mile  and  a  half  from  a  drink  of  water 
and  as  good  as  a  thousand  miles  from  anything  else.  But  there  is  no  greater  joy  on  earth  than  making 
something  out  of  nothing  and  no  keener  joy  to  the  masculine  partner  than  to  be  allowed  the  privilege 
of  demonstrating  that  the  so-called  "waste  lands"  of  the  Island  he  so  dearly  loves  are  productive. 

Next  came  conferences  in  regard  to  clearing.  One  thing  was  certain,  the  money  expended  was  as 
far  as  possible  to  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  Long  Islanders.  Second,  the  method  of  clearing  must  be 
the  most  rapid  possible,  for  fall  was  coming  fast  and  crops  must  be  produced  the  following  summer. 

It  was  not  our  purpose  to  cut  off  the  trees  and  brush  and  allow  the  stumps  to  remain  six  years 
to  rot;  nor  was  it  our  purpose  to  attempt  to  raise  partial  crops  in  the  stump  land,  tearing  the  life  and 
heart  out  of  a  man,  beast  and  harness,  and  profiting  but  little. 

Thirdly,  as  the  scheme  of  "ten  acres  is  enough"  for  a  market  garden,  what  should  be  done  with 
the  remaining  eight?  "Make  it  into  an  experimental  dairy  and  prove  that  this  land  is  capable  of  pro- 
ducing forage  just  as  well  to-day  as  it  did  a  hundred  years  ago." 


By  this  time  August  had  passed,  and  we  were  still  vainly  seeking  help.  Finally  on  September  1st 
we  started  out  from  our  home  town,  Huntington,  with  the  efficient  aid  of  one  colored  coachman,  who 
decided  that  it  would  be  fun  to  go  with  us  and  sent  word  to  his  employer  that  he  would  not  be  home  that 
day.  (This  we  learned  later,  for  we  would  not  intentionally  have  robbed  our  neighbors.)  We  were 
armed  with  an  ax,  bush  scythe,  whetstone,  snathe,  and,  last  but  not  least,  the  lunch  basket.  We  arrived 
at  the  scene  of  desolation  about  mid-morning.  Frank  was  started  to  work  in  the  northwest  corner 
while  we  went  about  among  the  good  trees  tying  white  rags  on  the  ones  to  be  spared  the  woodman's  ax. 

It  was  evident  the  house  plot  must  be  at  the  northeast  corner,  for  we  hold  firmly  to  the  belief  that 
in  clearing  land  some  trees  should  be  left  standing  for  shade  about  the  home  that  a  person  building 
a  house  in  the  broiling,  baking  sun  and  then  planting  young  trees  around  it  is  short-sighted  indeed  and 
loses  the  best  part  of  a  lifetime  waiting  for  them  to  grow.  As  a  rule  the  farmer's  wife  and  the  house 
take  the  dregs  of  the  thought  and  planning  expended,  and  we  made  up  our  minds  that  the  feminine 
portion  of  this  farmer's  household  should  have  some  shade  and  beauty  from  the  earliest  days  of  settle- 
ment. 

By  careful  choosing  and  much  planning,  a  grove  of  unmutilated  or  only  slightly  burned  trees  was 
left  in  front  of  the  house  site,  a  few  trees  indicated  the  road,  and  a  smaller  grove  to  the  south  of  the 
house  site  gave  slight  protection  (or  should  I  say  future  promise  of  protection)  from  the  hot  summer 
sun;    it  also  furnished  an  excellent  place  for  locating  the  chicken  house  and  yard. 

The  next  day  we  succeeded  in  getting  four  men,  two  colored  and  two  white:  Frank  and  his  friend 
Steve,  while  the  others  came  from  Huntington  and  Wading  River,  respectively.  It  was  an  interesting 
day,  while  two  lunch  baskets  replaced  the  one  of  the  day  previous.     Was  this  pioneering? 

"Frank,  get  in  here  with  that  bush  scythe  and  trim  out  this  plot  where  the  house  is  to  go,"  said 
the  Senior  Partner. 

"Yas,  sir,"  said  Frank,  whose  smile  I  am  sure  will  never  come  off  as  long  as  his  facial  elasticity 
remains. 

A  few  strokes  and  the  exclamation,  "Golly,  dis  year  sweet  fern  and  huckleberry  am  hard  cuttin.'  " 

"Well,  suppose  you  sharpen  the  scythe  up  and  see  how  she  goes." 

"All  right.  Boss,  speck  dat  mought  be  a  good  idea." 

"Say,  there,  George,  what  are  you  doing  cutting  down  trees  like  that;  didn't  I  tell  you  not  to 
touch  anything  until  I  gave  the  word,  that  tree  was  part  of  the  drive  and  the  only  chestnut  I  had;  all 
right" — as  a  dubious  expression  came  over  his  face — ^"you  get  to  work  trimming  up  these  felled  trees 
and  cutting  what  is  good  into  cord  wood." 

And  then  we  sat  down  together  and  wept  over  over  our  lost  chestnut. 

"Never  mind,  you  know  a  cherry  tree  would  be  much  better  than  a  chestnut,"  I  said. 

"Well,  maybe  it  would,  but  I  wanted  that  chestnut." 

"Look  at  Steve,  does  he  think  this  is  Broadway,  he's  wearing  gloves  and,  my  gracious,  patent 
leathers  also!     Great  woodmen  these.     No  wonder  Westerners  call  it  the  effete  East." 

"Yes,  but  look  at  the  Captain,  he  can  everlastingly  cord  wood,  and  no  lost  motion. 

The  next  day  there  was  added  to  our  "gang"  "Bijah"  and  "Tootsie"  and  "Rayme,"  who  was 
familiarly  known  as  the  "Pahson,"  while  a  few  more  individuals  of  colorless  character  but  strong  on 
complexion  completed  the  "gang." 

Their  dinner  was  a  sumptuous  meal:  coffee,  boiled  in  true  woodman  fashion,  sandwiches  galore, 
bananas  and  cake. 

They  decided  staying  right  there  and  clearing  up  the  whole  ten  acres  was  just  what  they  were 
looking  for;   that  coincided  with  our  desires,  so  they  remained. 

We  found  that  as  evening  approached  the  "call  of  the  curbstone"  and  street  lamp  was  upon  them, 
so  they  decided  to  walk  to  the  "Port,"  as  Port  Jefferson  is  fondly  termed.  This  they  did,  covering  the 
twelve  miles  on  the  railroad  tracks  in  due  and  ancient  form,  and  the  return  twelve  miles  were  negotiated 
by  dawn.     Next  day  work  was  not  so  brisk,  but  it  was  some  time  before  we  discovered  the  reason. 

But  there  was  "a  grouch  on"  and  complaints  started. 

"Mis'r  FuUerton,  we  all  ain't  gittin'  'nough  to  eat.  Dis  year  san'wich  diet  ain't  no  food  fo'  a 
working  man." 

"Well,  boys,  why  don't  you  appoint  a  cook  and  caterer,  surely  one  of  you  can  get  up  a  meal.  You 
have  talked  enough  about  being  good  axmen,  you  ought  to  know  how  to  live  out  of  doors." 

So  the  "Pahson"  was  made  chef.  Next  day  a  sumptuous  meal  was  in  readiness  at  noon,  in  fact 
a  trifle  before,  soup,  meat-stew,  succotash,  pie,  and  cake.  The  usual  result  of  a  hearty  midday  meal 
was  soon  visible,  each  man  wanted  to  lie  down  and  go  to  sleep. 

Then  and  there  we  held  a  conference.  The  Islanders  must  be  replaced  by  the  manual  mainstay 
of  civilization;  the  sons  of  Sunny  Italy  must  be  secured.  In  the  meantime  it  was  decided  to  remove 
the  stumps  by  dynamite,  as  trying  to  yank  them  out  by  pullers  or  by  mattock  and  plow  was  both  slow 
and  brutal;  as  for  the  ordinary  custom  cf  allowing  nature  to  work  six  years  at  the  stumps  and  gradually 
eliminate  them  in  part  by  decay  was  not  worthy  of  consideration. 

Dynamiter  Kissam  of  Huntington  was  engaged  to  do  the  blowing.  He  is  a  man  of  calm  and  serene 
temperament,  steady  and  careful  at  work,  and  to  be  fully  trusted.  With  the  approach  of  his  coming, 
the  "up  sleeve"  scheme  appeared.  The  editors  of  all  the  big  New  York  and  Brooklyn  daily  papers 
and  many  editors  of  the  prominent  magazines  were  to  be  invited  to  the  spot  to  see  the  first  stump  blown 
out. 

A  good  dozen  of  them  made  the  trip  on  September  Gth  and  Dynamiter  Kissam  greeted  them  with 
a  salute.  The  first  stump  was  blown,  shattered  to  bits  and  the  ground  pulverized,  leaving  a  hole  thirty 
inches  deep  and  marvelous  to  relate,  every  bit  of  it  beautiful  rich  brown  soil  with  no  sign  of  sand  or 
gravel.     The  six-inch  theory  went  up  with  the  stump. 

It  was  an  interested  and  interesting  party  of  men.  Some  of  them  decided  to  travel  as  far  north- 
ward as  they  could  go,  others  retreated  in  utter  confusion,  while  some  remained  the  safe  200  feet  from 
the  explosion. 


\i sorted  Native  Help 


Manual   >rainstay  of  To-day — the  Italian,  Finished  the  Work 


Dynamiters  and  Well-Drillers  at  Lunch 


The  universal  verdict,  however,  was  that  they  "would  not  undertake  the  task  of  making  that 
wilderness  into  a  market  garden  for  any  money,"  and  "we  certainly  had  picked  out  the  worst  piece  of 
land  ever."     They  wished  us  joy  of  the  experiment. 

By  this  time  the  "gang"  of  woodmen  had  increased  to  eight,  and  some  of  their  experiences  were 
very  funny. 

"When  the  charges  had  been  placed  and  the  usual  warning  signal,  "fire!"  given,  both  negroes  and 
white  men  would  fall  over  themselves  to  get  out  of  the  county;  which  was  decidedly  unnecessary,  for 
the  explosions  were  always  kept  well  away  from  the  workmen. 

Shortly  after  the  arrival  of  the  dynamiter  came  Lorenzo  Balzarano,  a  "Corporale"  or  Italian  boss, 
to  look  over  the  work  to  be  done  and  receive  instructions,  that  he  might  pick  men  best  suited  to  the 
work  in  hand.  He  was  a  big  fellow  with  a  good  face  and  a  "job  lot"  of  English  in  his  possession.  He 
remained  over  night,  when  the  following  interesting  incident  happened.  It  came  to  us  from  the  dyna- 
miter. One  of  the  colored  men  being  much  infatuated  with  the  cornet,  and  in  fact,  a  village  virtuoso, 
had  taken  his  instrument  into  the  wilds  and  made  night  hideous  with  his  attempts  at  imitations  of 
Levy. 

Lorenzo,  whose  name  is  shortened  and  Americanized  to  "Larry,"  asked  if  he  might  try  the  bugle. 
This  portended  huge  fun  for  the  superior  American,  so  the  instrument  was  gleefully  handed  over  to 
the  man  they  called  the  "dago."  Larry  made  some  noises  even  more  startling  than  Steve's,  and  amid 
much  laughter  they  endeavored  to  teach  him  the  approved  method  of  blowing.  Larry  made  strenuous 
efforts  and  finally,  rising  to  his  full  height  and  throwing  out  his  chest,  filled  the  air  with  the  most  beau- 
tiful musical  calls,  running  from  the  thrilling  call  for  a  cavalry  charge,  through  all  the  war  horseman's 
life,  to  the  last  honors  given  a  fallen  hero.  Never  had  they  heard  a  professional  cornetist  strike  every 
note  more  clearly  or  with  the  fervor  that  only  the  Latin  blood  possesses.  All  the  American  and  many 
foreign  army  calls  were  rendered  before  the  men  realized  that  the  joke  was  on  them. 

"Where  did  you  learn  them,  Larry?"  the  dynamiter  inquired. 

"Me  in  Emperor's  bodyguard.     Me  boss  bugler,"  he  calmly  responded. 

The  next  day  Larry,  his  brother,  Antonio  Monteforte  (a  /ia//-brother,  evidently),  who  came  in 
the  capacity  of  timekeeper,  and  18  other  Sunny  Sons  arrived,  when  the  natives  were  very  glad  to  depart 
to  places  of  beds  and  indoor  meals,  sidewalks,  and  continuous  half -holidays. 

The  question  of  housing  the  men  while  at  work  was  a  matter  that  early  came  up  for  consideration. 
A  shanty  is  the  usual  solution,  while  tents  might  be  adopted,  or  the  unsanitary  "dug  out"  mar  the 
landscape.  The  former  was  entirely  too  ugly  to  suit  our  tastes;  it  also  was  expensive  and  useless  when 
the  men  were  through  with  it.  Tents  were  rather  too  airy,  as  we  knew  the  work  would  continue  until 
freezing  weather  and  perhaps  well  into  the  winter.  We  "passed"  on  the  "dug  out."  The  ideal  as 
well  as  the  practical  was  something  that  would  be  of  use  after  the  work  of  clearing  was  completed, 
and  for  that  purpose  we  decided  upon  "condemned"  freight  cars.  They  cost  but  $10,  the  railroad 
being  glad  to  get  rid  of  them  (a  later  sale  by  a  big  trunk  line  placed  the  market  price  at  $1.00  each), 
while  the  hauling  and  placing  cost  about  $15.  For  $25  we  had  a  well-built,  permanent,  and  the  warmest 
and  coolest  (because!  ined  with  air  space)  chicken  house  one  could  possibly  secure.  A  second  car  (for 
two  were  found  necessary  when  the  Italians  arrived),  which  we  planned  ultimately  to  make  into  a  hay- 
loft or  feed-bin,  was  placed  to  the  north  of  the  location  selected  for  the  barn;  so  that  by  building  a 
small  barn  directly  against  the  ear,  the  warmest  possible  place  for  animals  would  be  secured. 

These  cars  were  purchased  and  placed  as  soon  as  a  clearing  could  be  made  for  them,  and  the  Italians 
were  as  happy  as  kings  in  a  palace. 

One  day  a  long,  lanky,  seedy  individual  arrived  and  asked  for  work;  cockney  English  was  rampant 
within  him  and  he  proved  to  be  an  English  "Navvy"  just  come  over  to  join  his  wife,  who  had  been 
here  some  time;  he  was  cheerfully  given  work,  but  we  looked  for  but  little  from  him.  He  proved  earnest 
and  eager  to  learn,  therefore  of  much  promise.  He  started  a  farmer's  boy  and  had  run  the  gamut  of 
"clerk,"  hostler  and  soldier,  finishing  as  'longshoreman. 

With  the  advent  of  Larry  and  his  swarthy  followers  work  began  in  earnest,  for  the  native  helpers 
had  merely  succeeded  in  clearing  the  house  plot  of  trees  and  taking  out  dead  and  crowding  underbrush 
in  the  windbreak  which  bounded  the  north  and  had  escaped  total  extinction  by  fire. 

Beginning  at  the  east  line  and  working  westward  the  Italians  clea,red  out  every  useless  tree,  cutting 
cord-wood  where  any  could  be  obtained,  and  burning  the  branches  and  charred  trees  as  they  went; 
they  also  cleared  out  all  underbrush,  and  burnt  the  ground  over  thoroughly. 

The  dynamiter  with  his  helper  followed  them  up.  This  is  by  far  the  most  exciting  and  interest- 
ing part  of  clearing  land  by  modern  methods.  The  dynamiter  prepared  his  charges  in  two  ways,  one  for 
fuse  ignition,  the  other  for  electric  spark. 

The  dynamite  is  put  up  in  half-pound  sticks,  they  are  a  little  larger  than  an  ordinary  candle  and  are 
wrapped  in  heavy  yellow  paraffined  paper.  One  folded  end  of  this  paper  is  opened  up  and  a  hole  made 
by  a  wooden  skewer  in  the  dynamite  stick,  which  is  plastic  and  resembles  graham  bread  in  color  and 
consistency. 

For  magnetic  battery  work  a  copper  cap  containing  a  minute  quantity  of  fulminate  of  mercury, 
and  which  requires  a  spark  to  explode  it,  is  attached  to  fine  electric  wires  and  scaled  by  sulphur;  this 
cap  is  placed  in  the  hole  in  the  stick  of  dynamite  and  then  securely  tied  by  drawing  string  tightly  around 
the  paper  which  was  raised  to  admit  the  cap. 

In  preparing  a  charge  for  fuse  ignition,  the  cap  is  crimped  on  to  the  end  of  a  piece  of  mining  fuse 
and  this  is  inserted  in  the  dynamite  stick  and  securely  fastened  as  previously  described. 

These  prepared  charges  are  placed  in  a  basket  and  carried  very  tenderly  to  the  stumps  which  have 
been  prepared  by  the  dynamiter's  assistant.  All  the  work  is  handled  very  tenderly  and  carefully, 
for  while  there  is  no  danger  of  an  accident  unless  fire  is  placed  near  the  explosive,  extreme  caution  is 
used  at  all  times.  To  handle  explosives  one  requires  a  nature  serene,  calm,  and  deliberate,  which 
Mr.  Kissam  possesses  to  a  marked  degree,  and  never  in  all  the  years  he  has  used  the  dynamite  has  he 
become  the  least  bit  careless,  or  ceased  to  regard  it  with  respect. 

12 


Placing   (Jne-Uali   a   i'uuiid   ui   JJjuamiK 


Once  a  Big  Stump,   now   Kindling   Wood 


A  Little  Fellow   "Blown   Clean" 


The  helper  has  made  deep  oblique  holes  under  the  stump  singled  out  for  execution  with  a  round 
crowbar  or  chisel-ended  piece  cf  pipe.  This  is  one  of  the  most  important  parts  of  the  work.  The 
holes  should  be  as  nearly  horizontal  as  possible  and  directly  under  the  stump,  that  all  the  explosive 
force  ma,y  be  expended  on  the  wood  and  not  on  the  earth  between  the  dynamite  and  the  stump,  for 
earth  acts  as  a  cushion  and  the  natural  tendency  of  dynamite  to  exert  force  downward  is  accentuated. 

Small  stumps  up  to  4  feet  require  about  one-half  pound,  while  large  ones,  say  6  to  8  feet  in  diameter, 
require  3  pounds  of  the  explosive,  which  is  placed  in  several  separate  holes  surrounding  the  stump. 
When  a  stump  requires  separate  charges,  in  order  to  secure  united  effort  the  electric  spark  is  used,  the 
wires  attached  to  the  sticks  of  dynamite  are  connected,  and  this  circle  of  wire  attached  to  battery  wire 
about  -00  feet  long.  This  main  wire  is  stretched  to  its  limit  and  attached  to  the  magneto  battery. 
At  the  word  "fire,"  the  plunger  of  the  battery  is  sent  home  to  the  base,  closing  the  circuit  and  sending 
the  spark  generated  to  the  caps,  thus  the  several  sticks  of  dynamite  are  simultaneously  exploded.  It 
is  a  grand  and  wonderful  sight,  and  I  doubt  if  many  women  have  had  the  pleasure  and  privilege  of  send- 
ing the  spark  to  a  stump  of  live  chestnut  which  measured  7J^  feet  in  diameter  and  in  an  instant  making 
of  a  waste  place  a  bit  of  ground  capable  of  taking  its  place  in  the  world's  work  and  ready  to  grow  many 
blades  of  grass  where  none  had  grown  before. 

Fourteen  fuse  charges  are  placed  under  as  many  stumps;  the  method  of  placing,  by  the  way,  is 
to  lower  the  charge  into  the  oblique  hole,  press  it  steadily  and  firmly  with  a  blunt  ended  stick  until 
expanded  to  the  full  size  of  the  crowbar  hole,  then  fill  up  the  hole  with  earth  and  tramp  it  firmly,  that 
no  explosive  gases  may  find  a  loophole  of  escape.  Each  loaded  stump  is  then  marked  by  a  stick  or 
branch. 

Two  men  light  these  fuses,  which  are  cut  a  thirty-second  length  (about  a  foot  and  a  half  of  fuse 
burns  this  time).  A  match  is  touched  to  each  fuse,  which  has  been  slightly  opened  at  the  end  that  the 
powder  may  be  exposed  and  catch  fire  quickly.  When  the  14  fuses  are  all  lighted  the  men  take  to 
their  heels  and  flee  for  their  lives. 

They  always  reach  a  distance  of  100  feet  and  often  more,  for  it  is  the  longest  thirty-seconds  one 
can  conceive.  At  the  first  uplifting  noise  and  shock  they  glance  backward,  ready  to  dodge  any  kindling 
wood  coming  their  way.  When  they  have  run  a  safe  distance  they  turn  and  face  the  stumps,  counting 
carefully  each  explosion  and  watching  the  flying  pieces,  that  they  may  net  be  hit.  Dynamiter  Kissam 
has  never  had  an  accident,  and  I  trust  he  never  will. 

Then  follows  a  mcst  delightful  Fourth  of  July  fire  cracker  exhibition  on  a  large  scale.  Roots  are 
thrown  up  out  of  sight  and  return  to  earth  a  hundred  or  more  feet  from  the  place  in  which  they  grew, 
while  the  air  is  filled  with  minute  fragments  of  wood  and  powdered  earth.  The  record  for  stump 
blowing  is  130  in  one  day,  when  84  pounds  dynamite  was  used.  Three  men  can  remove  thoroughly 
one  to  three  stumps  in  one  day  by  the  use  of  the  mattock,  ax,  and  shovel. 

But  to  return  to  the  farm.  Work  pushed  steadily  on  and  as  soon  as  a  small  strip  was  blown,  the 
Italians  came  in  gathering  up  all  the  stumps,  roots,  and  fragments,  removing  any  pieces  that  might  be 
loosened,  but  not  completely  torn  out  and  piling  them  at  intervals  and  immediately  burning  them. 
This  is  a  process  that  cannot  take  place  when  stumps  are  removed  by  any  other  method,  for  by  the 
digging  process  the  earth  must  be  picked  and  scraped  from  them  and  ultimately  the  stumps  chopped  or 
split  in  pieces  before  they  will  burn. 

By  the  method  pursued  the  stump  is  burned  and  the  ashes  spread  upon  the  ground  in  a  few  hours 
after  they  are  blown  out.  By  this  process  is  obtained  the  finest  kind  of  unleached  wood  ashes,  nature's 
best  fertilizer,  containing  vegetable  lime  to  "sweeten"  and  potash  and  phosphoric  acid  to  furnish  plant 
food. 

The  two  condenmed  freight  cars  had  been  placed  in  position  and  the  Italians  made  themselves 
thoroughly  at  home.  In  fact,  they  seemed  supremely  happy  there.  Larry  and  Tony  had  partitioned 
off  a  portion  of  their  car  for  a  bedroom,  while  a  "hot  stove"  was  placed  in  the  remaining  portion,  which 
served  as  kitchen  and  dining-room. 

The  rest  of  the  men  made  bunks  along  the  walls  and  an  "eat  stove"  filled  their  cup  of  happiness 
to  overflowing.  We  made  it  a  custom  to  say  good  morning  and  good  night  to  every  man  and  to  learn 
the  name  of  each  one;  they  soon  became  bright  faced,  polite,  eager  to  please,  and  extremely  faithful. 
In  fact,  each  one  came  to  us  asking  to  go  out  to  work  there  again  in  the  spring.  As  the  days  grew  shorter 
they  asked  to  be  allowed  to  make  a  full  day  and  get  full  pay.  We  were  only  too  glad  to  have  them  do 
so,  but  didn't  see  exactly  how  they  could  manage  it.  They  were  up  with  the  first  streaks  of  dawn  and 
and  cut  the  dinner  time  down  more  and  more,  working  on  until  it  became  dark. 

Their  meals  are  curious  and  interesting:  a  dish  of  red  peppers  and  a  half  a  loaf  of  rye  bread  for 
breakfast,  half  a  loaf  of  dry  bread  for  dinner,  and  for  supper  a  good  pan  full  of  macaroni  and  beans 
and  tomatoes.  During  all  the  time  they  were  there  they  ate  no  meat  and  were  well  and  happy  without 
it.     Tony  cut  his  foot  badly  with  the  ax  once,  but  kept  at  work  just  the  same. 

While  the  work  was  progressing,  much  thought  had  been  expended  upon  the  soil  and  its  needs. 
There  was  no  top  soil  or  humus;  forest  fires  had  robbed  the  plot  completely  of  this  valuable  element. 
'Tis  worse  than  a  pity,  'tis  unpardonable  negligence  on  the  part  cf  landholders  to  neglect  their  fire  lines. 
In  the  olden  days  ditches  were  dug  around  all  boundaries  and  were  kept  free  from  dead  leaves  and  dry 
matter  which  would  carry  fire.  Now  no  one  thinks  either  of  ditching  or  keeping  the  old  ditches  clean, 
so  that  fires  starting  from  a  carelessly  thrown  match  and  various  other  causes,  sweep  from  the  Sound 
to  the  Ocean,  many  times  utterly  destroying  small  farms  and  threatening  villages  in  their  path. 

We  were  thoroughly  convinced  that  the  soil  contained  all  the  elements  of  plant  food  and  that 
it  was  of  extremely  good  quality.  Oaks  and  chestnuts  will  not  grow  seven  feet  in  diameter  unless 
this  be  true;  also  it  requires  good  soil  to  produce  a  forest  with  from  300  to  700  trees  per  acre,  none 
under  18  inches  in  diameter.  We  also  knew  the  forest  land  is  always  sour.  That  is,  it  has  been  shaded 
so  much,  the  sweetening  powers  of  sun  and  air  have  been  denied  it.  The  fact  that  this  piece  had  been 
burned  over  aided  a  trifle,  as  the  sun  could  reach  the  soil  somewhat;  further,  the  ashes  produced  from 
the  burned  stumps  would  help.     Long  Island  wood  ashes  contain,  however,  but  about  5%  lime  (the 

14 


Island  having  no  limestone  upon  it).  Therefore,  with  these  facts  before  us,  it  was  determined  to  spread 
half  a  carload  (or  10  tons)  of  old  strawy  manure  to  the  acre  and  procure  some  Canada  wood  ashes, 
which  contain  40%  vegetable  lime,  for  use  where  the  soil  proved  too  acid.  The  manure  was  ordered, 
five  carloads,  and  delivered  on  October  3d.  The  Italians  proved  their  interest  in  the  work,  and  their 
willingness  and  eagerness  to  help  was  never  better  shown  than  when  18  of  them  unloaded  and  cleaned 
two  cars  (nearly  60  tons)  in  59  minutes.  The  3  remaining  cars  were  unloaded  by  14  men  in  2yi  hours. 
It  was  accomphshed  this  way: 

"Larry,"  said  the  Senior  Partner,  "tell  the  men  to  unload  as  quickly  as  they  can  and  I  will  give 
them  an  American  smoke.  The  railroad  men  say  it  will  take  three  hours  and  I  do  not  wish  to  delay 
the  train  crew  so  long." 

"All  right,  Boss,  we  see."     The  word  was  passed  around  with  the  above  result. 

The  box  of  cigars  was  delivered;   then  came  the  morrow. 

"Good  morning,  Larry,  did  the  boys  like  the  cigars?" 

"Yes,  sir,  we  keep  'em,  feast  day." 

"But,  Larry,  were  they  really  good?" 

"Yes,  sir,  not  so  good  like  Italian  cigar,  Italian  cigar  stronger." 

"What  do  you  pay  for  yours?" 

"I  buy  fifty  cigar,  thirty-five  cent,  him  very  good." 

"Are  they  American?" 

"No,  Boss,  him  come  from  Italy." 

A  team  of  horses  with  wagon,  plow,  and  driver  was  hired  from  the  neighboring  village  of  Rocky 
Point.  First  was  hauled  to  the  northern  boundary  all  cord-wood  the  Italians  had  been  able  to  secure 
when  clearing  the  land  of  standing  timber  and  underbrush  preparatory  to  dynamiting.  When  this 
was  accomplished  we  possessed  18  cords  of  rather  small  wood;   not  much  for  10  acres  surely. 

October  4th  Mike  Cooper  (American  for  Miguel  Coperillo)  began  spreading  manure  on  acre  "1" 
and  immediately  plowing  it  in.  It  was  our  intention  to  sow  winter  rye  on  as  much  of  the  land  as  could 
be  prepared  before  cold  weather  prevented  further  work,  in  the  hopes  of  having  a  few  inches  of  green 
humus  to  plow  under  in  the  spring. 

By  this  time  such  a  hue  and  cry  went  up  about  the  expense  of  using  dynamite  for  clearing  land 
that  we  had  Larry  pick  his  three  best  men  to  take  stumps  out  by  hand.  We  chose  average  stumps 
for  them,  and  the  best  they  could  do  was  one  stump  each  in  from  2^4  to  3X  hours,  and  requiring  the 
united  efforts  of  all  three  to  roll  the  root  out  after  it  was  loosened.  They  succeeded  in  getting  out  only 
the  bare  stump,  leaving  all  roots,  large  and  small,  to  check  the  plow  and  prevent  or  seriously  hinder 
cultivation. 

Dynamiter  Kissam,  with  "Dell"  Hawkins'  assistance,  blew  regularly  from  75  to  110  stumps  a  day. 
The  dynamite  splits  them  so  completely  that  they  can  be  burned  at  once,  and  in  fact  one  of  the  unwritten 
laws  was  that  all  stumps  blown  each  day  should  be  burned  and  the  ashes  spread  before  work  stopped. 
The  stumps  taken  out  by  hand  required  cleaning,  splitting,  and  drying  before  they  could  be  burned; 
an  added  expense.     Thus  the  comparison  figures  on  100  stumos: 

DYNAMITE. 

Average  60  pounds^Dynamite  at  15c.  per  lb $9.00 

Labor  of  Expert  and  Helper 5 .  50 

100  fuses  at  45c.  per  100  feet 75 

100  caps  at  75c.  per  100 75 


$16.00 

HAND    LABOB, 

100  average  stumps  requires  3  men  33  days  at  $1.33  per  day $131 .  67 

Stump  pullers  were  out  of  the  question,  there  was  no  standing  timber  for  the  block  and  fall  to  be 
fastened  to,  the  time  necessary  to  hitch  to  stumps  buried  just  under  the  surface,  frequently  with  rotted 
heart,  together  with  the  cost  of  the  puller,  hire  of  horses  and  men,  made  it  way  beyond  the  power  of 
competing  with  dynamite. 

The  daily  bombardments  seemed  to  interest  people  in  the  surrounding  country  very  much.  When 
questioned  as  to  what  was  being  done  at  the  Experimental  Station  they  would  reply: 

"Aw  they're  plantin'  dynamite  and  raisin'  hell,  and  that's  all  they  ever  will  raise."  Now  that 
the  farm  has  raised  other  than  that  warm  locality  they  say  it  is  "Fullerton  luck,"  but  we  know  better. 

By  the  tenth  of  October  all  the  10  acres  had  been  cleared  of  underbrush  and  dynamite  work  was 
progressing  well.  Fuses  gave  out,  causing  some  delay,  as  manufacturers  are  not  overly  prompt  in 
deliveries.  Two  teams  were  working  upon  the  cleared  section,  one  plowing,  one  disc  harrowing.  Fol- 
lowing this  process  came  spring  tooth  harrowing,  which  gathered  up  the  finer  roots  of  sweet  fern  and 
huckleberry  so  that  they  could  be  piled  and  burned. 

All  this  time  water  had  to  be  carried  from  the  depot,  a  mile  and  a  half  away.  Two  small  Italian 
boys  were  kept  busy  all  day  traveling  back  and  forth.  Water  must  be  had  for  the  farm,  and  it  was  our 
desire  to  experiment  in  a  small  way  with  irrigation.  There  comes  a  time  every  season  when  the  Eastern 
States  have  a  drought  of  greater  or  less  duration.  A  market-gardener  should  not  be  at  the  mercy  of 
the  elements.  There  is  too  much  at  stake.  Then,  too,  all  extra  choice  products  should  be  carefully 
washed  before  they  are  packed.  As  for  the  actual  quantity  of  water  required  by  plants  for  their  growth, 
the  following  instances  are  very  convincing: 

To  produce  1  ton  of  dry  oats  requires  520  tons  of  water;  1  ton  corn,  310  tons  water;  1  ton  red  clover, 
453  tons  water.  In  other  words  growing  plants  require  300  to  500  times  their  dry  weight.  It  certainly 
seems  as  though  water  were  more  necessary  than  fertilizer  or  anything  else  but  sun  and  air. 

15 


In  the  middle  of  October  the  well  was  started;  it  was  located  on  the  house  plot  northwest  of  the 
house  site.  The  trees  left  vacant  a  circle  which  was  an  admirable  setting  for  the  tank  tower  and  a 
protection  both  winter  and  summer.  Much  thought  and  investigation  were  expendf  d  upon  the  water 
supply.  The  well,  of  course,  was  a  necessity,  but  there  was  much  to  be  considered  in  regard  to  the 
method  of  pumping.  Under  ordinary  circumstances  a  wind  mill  would  do,  but  a  farm  should  not  be 
allowed  to  prove  a  failure  for  lack  of  water  in  a  droughty  season.  During  the  past  summer,  that  of 
1905,  a  drought  struck  the  entire  eastern  section  of  the  United  States,  when  vegetation  was  making  a 
strong  early  growth;  as  a  consequence  many  plants  remained  practically  dormant.  In  case  of  drought 
(and  almost  evcr>'  spring  or  summer  brings  one  of  greater  or  less  duration)  water  must  be  on  hand, 
and  as  a  drought  is  usually  accompanied  by  windless  weather  a  windmill  could  not  be  depended  upon. 
An  engine  was  obviously  necessary,  both  gasoline  and  kerosene  engines  were  closely  investigated  with 
the  result  that  a  "Secor"  kerosene  oil  engine  was  decided  upon.  This  engine  starts  immediately  by 
lighting  a  very  small  quantity  of  gasoline  by  electric  spark,  which  generates  sufficient  heat  to  vaporize 
the  kerosene  when  the  engine  is  shifted  to  the  latter  fuel.  Some  kerosene  engines  must  be  started  by 
heating  an  iron  ball  red-hot  by  means  of  a  gasoline  torch,  before  the  kerosene  is  vaporized;  this  requires 
oftentimes  20  minutes  and  more.  Gasoline  engines  are  more  expensive  in  operation  and  more  dangerous 
to  run ;  while  the  kerosene  engine's  first  cost  is  greater  it  is  much  cheaper  to  operate.  Another  advantage 
of  the  engine  over  windmill  is  that  it  will  furnish  power  for  cutting  wood  or  grinding  grain,  shredding 
fodder,  filling  silos,  or  lighting  the  buildings,  a  2J4  horsepower  engine  running  25  16-C.P.  lights  easily. 

The  well-driller  was  accompanied  by  a  huge  colored  man  whom  the  Senior  Partner  immediately 
dubbed  "Big  Mice."  Alas,  he  could  not  remain,  for  there  was  not  a  house  in  the  neighborhood  where 
one  with  African  blood  in  his  veins  could  get  a  bed  to  sleep  in.  He  returned  home,  leaving  George,  a 
young  Westerner,  to  do  the  drilling,  with  our  'longshoreman  as  a  helper.  It  was  an  exciting  time  when 
the  well  was  started.  It  would  mean  so  much  to  have  all  the  water  needed  and  not  have  to  carry  it  the 
long  distance  in  small  quantities  at  high  cost. 

Then,  of  course,  it  permitted  of  a  little  sport,  and  many  bets  were  made  as  to  the  depth  we  should 
strike  water.  The  site  was  about  100  feet  above  the  Sound  and  we  deemed  that  about  the  depth  we 
should  have  to  go.  The  Senior  Partner  bet  the  driller  we  would  strike  water  nearer  GO  than  ICO  feet; 
the  bet  was  for  a  hat  against  a  pair  of  gloves,  and  he  was  so  sure  of  winning  he  told  me  in  confidence  he 
had  decided  upon  a  white  "stove  pipe"  with  a  deep  well  band. 

Ah,  the  tantalizing  delays  about  that  well,  first  the  driller  ran  out  of  pipe,  when  more  came  it  was 
the  wrong  size,  and  interminable  delay,  and  the  next  lot  was  cracked. 

Water  was  finally  reached  at  102  feet  (the  hat  remained  a  dream).  A  little  more  drilling  to  bed 
the  well  points  and  strainer  revealed  the  fact  that  we  had  struck  an  infold  or  overlap  of  a  terminal 
moraine,  for  the  sand  instead  of  being  sea-wash  running  into  gravel  was  as  fine  as  emery.  It  would 
never  do  to  stop  there,  for  the  flow  would  be  slow  and  the  sharp  stuff  would  wear  the  leather  cups  and 
brass  valves  out  in  less  than  no  time.  Drilling  continued  through  shallow  layers;  always  water  in 
plenty,  but  geological  conditions  poor.  At  149  feet  a  beautiful  flow  was  struck  with  ideal  gravel  bottom; 
we  had  reached  that  huge  subterranean  river  which  lies  under  Long  Island  and  is  a  never  failing  source 
of  crj'stalline  water,  free  from  surface  drainage,  pure  and  sweet  for  whomsoever  cares  to  tap  it.  It 
rose  to  within  40  feet  of  the  surface  and  was  still  rising  when  the  pumps  were  put  on  and  we  had  the 
first  sip — sweet,  sparkling,  cold  (49°  F.)- — the  best  drink  in  the  world.  Then,  to  test  the  supply,  an 
18-inch  stroke  was  pulled  and  she  never  "kicked."  Now  the  first  turn  of  the  pump  throws  water  into 
the  tank,  showing  that  the  water  stands  close  to  the  top  of  the  pipe. 

But  to  return  to  the  land,  Nature  smiled  her  sweetest  upon  us  up  to  October  20th,  when  there  was 
a  24-hour  downpour. 

"Now  w'e're  up  against  it,  we  won't  get  the  rye  drilled  in  for  a  week  or  more,  and  that  will  be  too 
late  to  get  a  good  start  this  year,"  said  the  Senior  Partner. 

"Well,  if  that  farm  is  anything  like  our  garden  you  can  drill  in  rj-e  to-morrow,"  I  said. 

Hand  in  hand  we  traveled  forth  the  next  day  and  there  were  the  harrows  going  merrily  over  the 
ground,  and  though  the  soil  was  moist  it  did  not  cake  up  a  bit.  Rye  was  sown  in  the  afternoon,  thus 
completing  3  out  of  the  10  acres. 

The  comparison  of  plowing  this  land  with  land  cleared  in  the  usual  way  is  interesting.  To  begin 
with,  the  team  and  driver  cost  $4.00  per  day,  while  they  always  charge  $5.00  per  day  for  the  land  when 
stumps  are  left  in.  This  land  plowed  at  the  rate  of  1^  acres  a  day  while  K  of  an  acre  is  the  best  they 
can  do  in  stump  land. 

On  October  2Sth  I  had  the  pleasure  of  blowing  out  our  "king"  stump,  a  chestnut  7>2  feet  in  diameter. 

Our  neighbors  and  friends  were  kind  and  encouraging,  many  of  them  came  long  distances  to  re- 
monstrate after  this  fashion: 

"Say,  old  man  (that's  not  I),  we're  awful  fond  of  you  and  you  have  done  a  lot  for  the  Island.  We'd 
hate  to  see  you  rum  yourself.  For  goodness  sake  give  this  thing  up  before  it  is  too  late.  You  know 
nothing  will  grow  here  under  three  to  six  years.     Honest,  old  man,  we  mean  it." 

Then  the  Senior  Partner  would  w\'^Jk  around  with  them  a  bit  and  they  would  say,  "What's  that 
green  over  there?" 

"Rye." 

"No,  go-wan,  it  can't  be!" 

"Go  and  look  for  yourself  then,"  he  would  answer.     They  went  away  nobler  and  better  men. 

Others  would  gather  in  the  village  stores  and  decide  that  we  had  "pizened"  the  soil  with  gases 
from  the  dynamite,  but  as  the  rye  grew  stronger  and  greener  they  said,  "Well,  anyway,  it  wouldn't 
live  the  winter  through." 

As  the  weather  grew  colder  the  problem  of  handling  the  dynamite  became  a  perplexing  one.  It 
freezes  at  44°  and  we  were  absolutely  determined  to  get  at  least  10  acres  cleared  before  snow  flew. 

A  magazine  was  made  of  a  large  dry  goods  case  and  placed  in  the  middle  of  a  pile  of  manure,  the 


^j-'^^^^^■:!^Vl^.■ 


Watei-rnnicis- -Aiifioiit    mid   Mo.lc 


6,0u0   Gallons   of   i^ure  Water   Always   ou   Tap 


opening  facing  soutli.  The  dynamite  was  stored  in  this,  only  as  much  as  was  needed  for  immediate 
work  being  removed  at  a  time. 

"Dynamite  camp"  was  first  located  in  the  house  plot,  but  as  the  work  moved  westward,  camp 
also  had  to  move.  Finally  we  located  in  the  windbreak,  placing  cords  of  wood  to  the  west,  north,  and 
east,  leaving  the  south  open.  An  old  sail  cloth  was  thrown  over  the  wood-pile  in  the  daytime,  keeping 
out  the  winds  and  making  a  warm  sunny  sheltered  spot.  Here  the  dynamiters  prepared  their  charges, 
placing  them  when  ready  in  a  small  box,  in  the  bottom  of  which  was  some  hot  manure,  a  cloth  was 
thrown  over  the  top  and  the  lid  closed  down.  Thus  they  were  transported  safely  to  the  stumps  already 
prepared  for  charging. 

The  acres  were  cleared  up  quickly  and  cleanly,  the  stumpage  running  from  270  up  to  337  on  the 
eighth  acre,  the  ninth  numbered  334,  and  when  they  started  blowing  the  tenth  we  felt  our  goal  was 
nearly  reached. 

Dynamiter  Kissam  and  the  "Captain,"  or  "Cap,"  as  Dell  was  more  often  called,  worked  harder 
than  ever.  They  started  the  acre  November  2d  and  blew  110  stumps  that  day:  the  next  97,  next  20, 
next  6C,  next  99,  but  apparently  they  made  no  impression  upon  it.  We  became  impatient,  the  fall  was 
slipping  by  and  that  last  acre  hung  fire. 

"Charlie,  can't  you  get  someone  else  to  help  you,  we  must  get  this  acre  and  as  much  of  the  dairy 
as  possible  done  this  fall." 

"Why,  yes,  I  guess  Ed.  Underbill,  cf  Syosset,  will  help  me." 

■'Telegraph  him,  then,  and  see  if  he  will  come  out  to-night,"  said  the  Senior  Partner. 

The  "water  boy"  carried  the  message  to  the  depot  and  "Ed"  appeared  on  the  evening  train.  My! 
how  these  three  boys  worked  the  next  3  days,  until  on  the  16th  they  made  a  record  blow  of  160  stumps, 
bringing  this  acre  up  to  797  stumps  over  average  size.  I  blew  by  electric  spark  the  last  one,  and  this 
10  acres,  up  tc  this  time  a  drag  upon  the  community,  took  its  place  in  the  rank  of  the  world's  producers. 

Three  cheers  arose  from  us  all,  even  the  Italians  throwing  their  hats  in  the  air,  and  giving  vent 
to  their  feelings. 

By  this  time  the  plow  and  harrow  were  well  up  to  the  dynamiter,  so  that  the  next  day  saw  the  10 
acres  seeded  down  to  rye  and  the  telegram  that  went  to  the  President  read  like  this: 

"Number  I's  ten  acres  cleared,  plowed,  disc  harrowed,  cross  harrowed  with  a  spring  tooth  harrow 
and  drilled  with  rye  in  64^  working  days  from  the  start  of  clearing." 

And  the  answer  came: 

"Coneratulation.s." 


r>    l-llM      \ll;lll;l     lhir\ 


IS 


Nijiht    Work— Burniiii!:   the    Kino    Hoots 


Winter  Work 


SD 


DYNAMITING  contiiiuecl  ill  the  dairy  sgction  up  to  the  end  of  November.  Three  acres  were  com- 
pleted, but  the  weather  became  so  cold  it  was  very  difficult  to  go  further.  Two  acres  plowed, 
but  no  more  work  could  be  accomplished  here. 

The  question  of  suitable  shelter  for  us  and  for  a  man  on  the  place  came  early  into  con- 
.sideration.  We  heard  of  a  5-room  portable  that  had  been  used  2  summers  on  the  South  Shore  Beach, 
which  was  for  sale.     It  was  in  good  condition,  and  authorization  was  given  for  its  purchase. 

Immediately  we  made  measurements  for  a  collar  under  it,  for  there  was  urgent  need  of  store  room 
for  coal  in  winter  and  provisions  in  summer.  Larry  put  3  men  in  there  and  they  seemed  to  vie  with 
each  other  in  quick  work;  to  us  the  absorbing  part  was  the  soil  conditions.  Of  course  all  the  soil 
was  carefully  placed  and  saved  for  future  use;  it  ran  just  3  feet  deep  when  sea-wash  sand  and  gravel 
in  brown  and  white  strata  appeared.  This  was  also  kept  separate  for  mason  work,  foundations  for 
roads   and  piths. 

In  a  day  the  cellar  was  dug,  ready  for  the  erection  of  the  house.  It  came  like  a  pack  of  cards,  was 
erected  in  2  days  by  a  carpenter  and  his  helper,  and  looked  most  ridiculous  with  the  windows  curtained 
before  the  roof  went  on.  This  is  the  way  it  was  arranged,  leaving  out  a  partition  at  the  western  end  and 
making  4  rooms  instead  of  5.  It  was  heated  by  a  very  small  G-hole  "eat  stove,"  No.  7  Paragon,  and  a 
No.  10  Redcloud  "hot  stove"  in  the  office.  Into  this  house  we  put  the  English  'longshoreman,  his  wife, 
and  little  girl;  they  remained  all  winter,  finding  the  house  more  comfortable  than  the  average  modern 
frame  house. 

Early  in  the  life  history  of  the  farm  we  roughly  sketched  the  plan  of  campaign;  chicken  house, 
barn,  house,  and  well  were  plotted.  Next  came  the  orchard,  which  was  to  cover  an  acre  of  ground. 
No  farm  or  country  place,  no  matter  how  small,  is  complete  without  some  fruit;  it  is  a  permanent  im- 
provement, to  draw  more  and  more  interest  as  time  goes  by. 

It  was  our  plan  to  experiment  with  fruit  in  this  way.  Firstly,  put  in  many  named  varieties  of 
many  kinds  of  fruit  and  find  what  wa.>  best  adapted  to  the  locality;  secondly,  to  procure  the  stock  from 
widely  differing  sections  both  north  and  south  of  us,  to  see  which  change  of  latitude  would  show  the 
greater  advantage. 

Many  nights  were  spent  poring  over  catalogues,  and  at  last  the  orders  were  given,  each  a  duplicate 
of  the  other  and  an  accompanying  letter  stating  the  nature  of  the  experiment,  that  the  stock  would  be 
planted  at  the  same  time  side  by  side.  One  order  went  to  northern  New  York  State,  one  to  southern 
Pennsylvania. 

Pennsylvania's  came  first  in  "coffins,"  the  mcst  ghastly  looking  packages,  arriving  the  day  before 
election  day.  As  Italians  would  rather  make  a  day's  pay  than  vote,  and  further  had  not  registered, 
we  started  planting  on  November  7th.     A  privet  hedge  running  along  the  drive  road  on  the  barn  side 

19; 


was  first  planted.  Jit  was  to  be  allowed  to  grow  tall  and  obscurejthejjbarn  buildings  from  the  house. 
A  trench  was  dug,  some  old  well-rotted  manure  (of  which  a  car  load  was  purchased  as  a  mulch  for  the 
trees  and  fruit),  and  wood  ashes  thoroughly  mixed  in  the  bottom,  and  the  bushes  firmly  set,  a  foot  apart. 
Previous  to  the  arrival  of  the  nursery  stock,  holes  had  been  dug  to  receive  the  trees.  Acre  4  was 
selected  for  the  orchard;  it  was  the  middle  acre  from  north  to  south,  on  the  eastern  boundary  and  not 
far  from  the  house  and  on  a  slight  slope.  Apples  occupied  the  first  row,  set  25  feet  apart,  with  a  peach 
between  each.  Peaches  last  but  12  years,  and  will  be  out  before  the  apples  need  the  room.  Next 
came  pears,  then  cherries  with  one  nectarine  and  one  apricot  for  trial;  next  quinces,  then  a  quantityjof 
Japanese  plums,  a  few  German  prunes,  and  greengages. 
The  varieties  were  as  follows: 

Apples.  Cherries.  Quinces. 

Red  Astrachan,  May  Duke  Champion, 

Red  Bietigheimer,  Montmorency,  Bourgeat, 

Esopus  Spitzenburg,  Ordinaire.  Orange. 

Northern  Spy.  Japanese  Plums.  Pears. 

Raspberries.  Abundance,  Bartlett, 

Golden  Queen,  Burbank,  Worden  Seckle, 

Champlain.  Satsuma,  Anjou, 

Wickson.  B.  S.  Fox. 

Gooseberries.  European  Plums.  Currants. 

Downing,  Grand  Duke,  Fays  Prolific, 

Industry.  Bavays  Greengage,  White  Currant. 

Monarch. 
iMoorepark  Apricot,  Nectarine, 

Red,  white,  and  blue  grapes,  Catawba,  Niagara,  and  Concord,  Rathburn  blackberries,  Palmetto  aspara- 
gus, Myatts  Linneaus  rhubarb  and  Sharpless  strawberries  from  the  home  garden. 

The  holes  were  prepared  with  wood  ashes  thoroughly  mixed  at  the  bottom,  the  roots  carefully 
pruned,  then  set  in  the  hole  with  plenty  of  room  to  spread  out,  and  arranged  as  nearly  as  possible  as 
they  were  in  their  original  home.  Dirt  was  shoveled  in  carefully  and  blowly,  while  one  man  tamped 
gently  with  a  blunt  stick  in  order  that  the  roots  might  be  thoroughly  embedded  and  no  air  spacf  s  left 
about  them. 

When  the  hole  was  filled,  2  thort  stakes  were  driven  beside  the  tree,  one  to  the  east,  one  to  the  west, 
a  piece  of  old  garden  hose  about  4  inches  long  was  split  and  encircled  about  the  tree  trunk.  A  soft  stout 
twine  tied  around  the  piece  of  hose  and  extending  to  each  brace  and  back  again,  held  the  tree  firm  so 
that  no  amount  of  wind  could  loosen  the  roots.  We  had  the  feeling  that  this  work  was  too  important 
to  trust  to  others,  but  soon  found  that  Larry,  Tony,  and  Dominique  were  doing  as  well  as  we  could;  in 
fact,  many  of  these  men  showed  real  talent  for  gardening.  Tying  was  work  that  woman's  hands  could 
do,  so  that  was  my  portion. 

Grapes  went  in  around  the  chicken  yard,  currants,  gooseberries,  and  blackberries,  rhubarb  and 
asparagus  near  them.  There  are  but  enough  of  these  plants  to  supply  a  family's  wants.  To  the  north 
of  the  orchard  and  along  the  eastern  boundary,  raspberries  were  placed,  strawberries  next  them,  leaving 
a  strip  in  a  swale  between  them  and  the  asparagus  for  the  raising  of  late  seedlings. 

By  the  time  these  were  all  in  it  was  well  into  November,  plowing  continued  in  the  pasture  and  the 
Italians  mounded  earth  about  each  orchard  tree,  making  a  rain  shed  and  preventing  sinkmg  about  the 
tree  trunk  where  ice  and  snow  could  settle,  next  they  piled  a  manure  mulch  on  this  mound,  leaving  an 
open  circle  about  each  trunk  that  mice  and  moles  might  not  be  harbored  and  eat  the  bark.  Well  we 
knew  it  was  late  for  setting  out  trees  and  bushes,  but  also  we  knew  that  the  nurserymen  take  their  stock 
from  the  fields,  and  "heel"  them  in  where  they  can  get  at  them  in  the  early  spring  for  shipment.  To 
our  minds,  a  tree  well  planted  and  carefully  protected,  mainly  against  heaving  by  freeze  and  thaw, 
stood  as  good  a  chance  or  better  than  one  "heeled  in."  Added  to  that,  when  planted  the  roots  had  a 
chance  to  get  settled  and  gain  a  foothold,  so  that  when  growing  season  started  (below  ground  long 
before  above  ground)  their  work  went  on,  gaining  just  a  year  in  their  growth.  All  the  rest  of  the  stock 
was  mulched,  while  strawberries  were  covered  with  strawy  compost  after  a  fair  freeze. 

The  drive  and  paths  were  made  accordmg  to  our  sketch  of  the  early  season.  First  gravel  and  sand 
from  the  cellar  was  spread  and  rolled  with  a  kerosene  barrel  filled  with  stone,  next  a  dressing  of  loam 
and  finally  cinders  were  laid;  for  this  rolling,  the  well-driver's  drop  weight  was  borrowed.  The  road 
proved  permanent,  useful  and  sightly,  weathenng  both  winter  and  summer  well. 

The  well  being  finished  the  erection  of  the  tank  tower  and  the  placing  of  engine  and  pump  claimed 
attention.  Stone  for  the  concrete  corner  foundations  of  the  tower  had  to  be  brought  from  the  beach, 
the  entire  farm  having  disclosed  4  stones,  the  largest  4  inches  in  diameter.  A  large  hole  was  dug,  filled 
with  boulders  and  cement,  a  square  casing  set  above  and  the  concrete  poured  in.  The  engine  base  was 
made  the  same  way  and  with  even  more  scrupulous  care,  for  we  were  particularly  anxious  the  engine 
should  have  a  firm  foundation.  All  this  work  was  done  by  the  well-driver  and  John,  no  experts  or  high- 
priced  men  were  on  the  work.  The  tower  went  up  and  waited  weeks  while  "tracers"  followed  the  tank 
from  Michigan  here.  If  any  manufacturer  could  delay  the  work  we  seemed  destined  to  win  the  delay. 
Dame  Nature  was  always  with  us,  helping  in  every  conceivable  way,  but  man — well,  man  is  dead  slow 
and  "bites  ofT  (in  these  strenuous  days)  more  than  he  can  chew,"  and  often  prefers  not  to  keep  his  word, 
while  his  contract  is  seldom  lived  up  to.  A  carpenter  and  his  boy  next  held  sway,  enclosing  the  tower, 
and  building  a  lean-to  for  the  pump  head.  An  engine  does  its  best  work  when  some  distance  from  the 
pump;  well  rods  need  raising  for  new  cups  and  valves  once  in  a  while,  therefore  the  pump  was  given  a 
lean-to  with  trap  door  in  the  roof  for  raising  the  rods.  In  the  upper  part  of  the  main  tower  an  office  was 
made  by  laying  a  floor  and  erecting  the  most  amazing  flight  of  stairs  imaginable.  The  engine  was  set, 
the  pump  head  was  placed  and  the  carpenter  and  I  "lined"  the  pulleys.     "Pennsylvania  millions"  has 

20 


I  • 


&' 


•^^*^;i*.^ 


UiskiiiK   with    ■H'iit-:i-\v:iv'"    Ihurow 


10. 


No.    I's   P'ir.st   Season's   IMowiiijj 


been  the  cry.  I  am  sure  none  of  them  ever  found  their  way  to  Experimental  Station  Xo.  1;  even  if  they 
had,  there  are  many  things  millions  cannot  accomplish. 

At  last  the  tank  arrived  and  was  erected;  then  another  delay  while  "tracers"  again  hunted  pump 
pulleys  that  had  never  left  the  factory.  It  has  become  a  mercantile  custom  to  saddle  delay  on  trans- 
portation companies. 

One  never-to-be-forgotten  day  the  engine  started  and  pumped  the  5,000  gallon  tank  full  in  6  hours. 
Hurrah,  no  more  carting  of  water,  no  need  of  thinking  twice  before  taking  a  drink  or  washmg  hands  for 
fear  the  supply  would  give  out! 

The  irrigation  system  had  been  decided  upon.  Simple  in  the  extreme,  it  consisted  of  a  pipe  running 
from  the  tower  directly  south  through  the  chicken  yard  to  the  .seed  bed.  By  the  chicken  house  it  took  a 
right  angle,  running  west  the  length  of  the  18  acres,  again  north  to  the  northwestern  corner,  where  the 
dairyman's  cottage  would  ultimately  be.  A  second  pipe  was  run  across  the  front  lawn  to  the  barn. 
All  these  pipes  were  laid  3  feet  deep,  the  work  being  done  by  the  Senior  Partner  and  the  Italians,  with 
occasional  help  from  the  well-driller.  About  every  100  feet  of  this  pipe  length,  a  standard  was  inserted 
with  a  stop-cock  at  the  top;  these  were  for  attaching  hose,  for  the  system  called  only  for  a  length  of  hose 
with  lawn  sprinkler  attached.  Our  idea,  proven  to  our  own  satisfaction  in  our  own  garden  work,  is  that 
plants  want  their  water  in  nature's  way,  from  above  and  that  it  can  be  applied  when  the  sun  is  shining 
just  as  well  as  not,  provided  you  give  them  enough,  don't  just  wet  the  leaves  and  moisten  the  ground,  soak 
them,  it  is  the  sunshower  of  summertime. 

Well  into  the  winter  work  continued,  the  Italians  (now  cut  down  to  a  much  smaller  force,  of  course), 
set  fence  posts  about  the  entire  IS  acres,  and  a  division  fence  line  between  the  market-garden  and  the 
dairy.  This  was  slow  and  tedious  work,  for  the  ground  was  pretty  well  frozen,  yet  we  knew  that  when 
spring  opened  there  would  be  more  than  all  hands  could  attend  to  without  thinking  of  fences. 

Nature  favored  us  with  an  exceptionally  open  winter,  so  that  much  more  was  accomplished  than  was 
expected.  Yet  what  remained  to  be  done  seemed  .stupendous  and  we  awaited  the  opening  of  spring 
with  bated  breath. 

\^'inter  nights  found  us  poring  over  catalogues  of  seeds  and  implements,  traveling  to  factories  to  see 
these  implements  made  and  learning  their  various  features,  drawing  plans  for  a  simple  barn  that  would 
blend  into  the  freight  car  without  looking  freaky,  plotting  the  10,  or  rather  13,  cleared  acres,  that  there 
might  be  no  hitch  either  in  ordering  seed  or  planting  the  same. 

About  the  middle  of  January,  Teddy,  a  young  Englishman  of  about  20,  appeared,  asking  for  work. 
He  was  an  artisan's  son  and  had  been  working  on  Long  Island  for  a  year  or  more;  we  engaged  him  gladly 
for  the  spring.     He  found  work  in  the  village  during  the  winter  and  we  were  ready  for  his  help  March  1st. 

We  had  also  engaged  a  Huntington  boy  who  had  worked  for  us  in  our  garden,  where  many  strange 
vegetables  have  found  a  home,  to  go  with  his  wife  to  the  farm  when  spring  opened;  Mike  Cooper,  who 
broke  up  the  soil,  following  the  dynamiters  closely,  begged  to  become  one  of  our  force,  and  as  he  is  a 
good  plowman,  farmer,  willing,  and  quick,  we  also  engaged  him  for  the  spring. 

In  January  a  trench  4  inches  deep  had  been  dug  along  the  front  fence  on  the  house  plot;  here  we 
sowed  peas,  giving  them  a  little  old  manure  and  plenty  of  wood  ashes.  They  were  covered  to  within 
an  inch  of  the  surface,  and  instructions  given  to  I\Iack  to  fill  it  in  before  a  heavy  snow-storm.  Alas  for 
for  the  sweet  peas,  he  filled  the  trench  with  true  English  thoroughness  and  but  few  of  them  ever  came 
through.     I  think  now  I  prefer  spring  planting.     Who  said,  "Sour  Grapes?" 

A  pile  of  "blown"  stumps  with  their  long  slender  roots  was  piled  by  the  drive  gate  to  serve  in  the 
future  as  a  nasturtium  trellis.  Several  stumps  were  placed  about  the  trees  to  serve  as  seats  and  flower- 
stands,  and  as  reminders  of  the  past. 

One  of  the  most  important  portions  of  winter  work  is  the  making  of  hot-beds  for  raising  seedlings. 
The  barn  was  not  erected  at  the  farm,  and  no  spot  was  quite  sheltered  enough  for  beds;  besides  a  'long- 
shoreman-sailor-soldier Englishman  cannot  tend  hotbeds  successfullj'. 

"What  shall  we  do?"  said  the  Senior  Partner.  "We  must  have  tomatoes,  early  cabbage  and  cauli- 
flower plants.  We  will  have  to  grow  them  here  under  our  personal  supervision  and  there  is  only  one 
place  to  put  them  that  is  ideal." 

"I  know,"  I  replied,  "where  I  raised  my  early  chicks,  the  warmest  spot  in  our  home  acre.  All 
right,  go  ahead,  we'll  sacrifice  even  chickens  to  the  success  of  Number  1." 

So  John  Coddington  was  at  once  installed  maker  and  tender  of  hotbeds  for  Experimental  Station 
No.  1  at  Huntington  in  our  own  home  chicken  yard.  The  space  admitted  of  7  sash;  a  3-foot  hole  was 
dug,  the  frame  set  according  to  regulations  and  hot  manure  placed  in  the  bottom.  Fine  sifted  loam  was 
placed  over  this  and  when  the  bed  had  reached  the  proper  temperature  radishes  were  sown,  for  we 
intended  getting  1  crop  of  these  before  tomatoes,  cabbage,  and  cauliflower  took  all  the  room.  There 
were  many  bunches  pulled  in  March  when  radishes  were  bringing  25  cents  a  bunch. 

Tomato  seed  was  sown  in  February,  in  7  varieties:  early,  medium,  and  late;  pink,  red,  and  yellow. 
In  the  little  conservator^',  our  winter's  delight  and  recreation,  my  seed  boxes  were  brought  forth  and 
planted  with  asters,  pansies,  coleus,  peppers,  and  cardoon,  all  destined  to  beautify  the  house  plot  about 
the  little  homestead  in  the  wilderness.     When  seeds  are  sown,  spring  begins. 


23 


"e^^-'^Cr-- 


_r!SO^: 


The  Planting   Plan   and   Muuci  a    LU 


Enaldcd    Tlireo    ilon    to    Cain     :l    Dui 


Spring,  the  Strenuous  Season 


i 

1 

if.  i 

■Hi 

ii.M^ii 

J 

i 
t 

-Si 

4 

1^ 

PRING  began  with  us  when  the  ground,  even  though  still  hard,  could 
be  turned  over.  "Mack,"  so  dubbed  to  prevent  confusion  with 
John  Coddington,  forked  the  lawn  plots  about  the  house — the  plow 
had  not  done  any  work  here,  for  the  trees  interfered.  It  was  hard 
work  and  slow,  but  brawny  muscle  and  encouragement  prevailed. 
A  dressing  of  well-rotted  manure  and  a  sowing  of  ashes  had  been 
spread  for  turning  under,  for  we  wished  to  lay  special  stress  upon 
the  grass  plot.  Too  many  new  homes  never  have  one,  more's  the 
pity.v  Of  course,  it  needed  raking  after  being  turned  over,  and  as 
no  rakes  seemed  to  grow  in  scrub  oak,  the  Englishman  turned 
Yankee  and  invented  one.  He  took  a  board,  drove  nails  through 
it,  fastened  it  to  a  stick,  and  proceeded  to  rake;  Teddy,  for  a  drag 
and  leveler,  tied  a  couple  of  cedars  to  a  board,  which  answered  the 
purpose  admirably. 

Edward  Tuddenham,  or  Ted,  started  work  March  1st,  giving 
us  2  men.  Much  work  on  buildings  was  yet  to  be  done,  while  2 
more  portables  of  3  and  5  rooms  each  were  ordered ;  one  was  for  the 
helpers,  the  other  for  our  own  use.  This  necessitated  moving  the 
seaside  cottage  already  erected  on  the  house  plot  farther  west — an 
added.expense,  but  one  that  under  the  circumstances  was  unavoid- 
able. 

The  tower  was  still  incomplete  and  the  bam  unerected. 
March  19th  brought  with  it  a  corps  of  4  carpenters.     I  quote 
from  the  Senior  Partner's  diary  to  show  that  things  did  not  go 
merrily  all  the  time: 

"The  4  carpenters  arrived  with  little  to  eat,  nothing  to  cook 
with  and  nowhere  to  sleep.  I  took  out  of  the  chicken  house  car 
materials  stored  there  waiting  the  arrival  of  the  portable  houses, 
set  2  men  to  work  erecting  bunks  and  tables,  while  the  third  re- 
turned to  the  city  for  food  supplies." 

It  was  necessary  to  keep  the  workmen  there,  for  distances 
were  so  great  the  best  portion  of  a  day  was  used  in  traveling  back 
and  forth. 

Our  next  few  days  were  spent  in  getting  out  orders  for  vegetable  plants  (knowing  full  well  we  could 
not  raise  all  we  should  need),  and  various  other  "knittmg  work."  Receiving  word  that  the  csrpenter 
who  erected  the  first  portable  would  be  there  to  erect  the  others  (which,  by  the  way,  had  arrived),  we 
returned  to  the  farm.  The  first  thing  that  greeted  us  was  the  barn  frame,  standing  about  4  feet  above 
the  car  top  and  big  enough  for  an  apartment  house. 

"For  heaven's  sake,"  exclaimed  the  Master  Mind,  "do  you  think  we  are  going  to  keep  giraffes? 
That  thing  is  big  enough  for  giants.  Where's  the  plan?  ^We  drew  it  and  sent  it  in  with  this  roof  slanting 
south  from  the  car  roof!" 

The  drawing  was  produced,  a  beautiful  blue  and  white  thing  by  expert  draftsmen,  but  the  speci- 
fications attached  did  not  "gibe." 

To  say  we  "threw  fits"  draws  it  mildly.  Three  men  had  worked  3  days  with  second  hand  extra 
heavy  timber  (this  is  where  the  Pennsy  was  saving  a  few  millions)  and  this  awful  nightmare  stared  us  in 
the  face. 

"It  hoodoos  the  whole  place,"  I  exclaimed.  "We  might  just  as  well  not  have  worked  so  hard. 
Telephone  (oh,  yes,  we  had  a  telephone,  every  farmer  should,  especially  if  he  is  far  from  civilization  and 
the  base  of  supplies)  to  the  Engineer's  Department 'and  ask  them  if  it  can't  be  altered." 

A  heart  to  heart  talk  with  the  foreman  revealed  the  fact  that  his  instructions  were  to  "Do  whatever 
Mr.  Fullerton  wants.     If  he  says  to  put  the  roof  on  the  ground  and  the  floor  on  top,  you  do  it." 
That  was  sufficient  for  us,  the  roof  came  down  in  the  world  and  later  took  its  proper  place. 
But  March  was  slipping  away  and  there  were  no  horses,  and  plowing  must  start  soon!     Would  that 
barn  ewer  be  built? 

The  Thanksgiving  cottage  must  be  moved;  for  so  the  first  one  erected  was  named,  from  the  fact 
that  we  took  the  2  children  and  dinner  under  our  arms  and  spent  the  day  at  the  farm.  Dinner  consisted 
of  cold  broiled  chicken — the  real  kind  that  you  raise  yourself,  not  the  dormant  kind  of  city  life — fried  sweet 
potatoes,  which  I  warmed  in  the  little  oven  (this  was  before  Mack's  family  had  moved  in)  and  pumpkin 
pie.     To  quote  again  from  the  diary: 

"The  entire  Fullerton  family  having  decided  that  the  small  village  plot  was  not  sufficient  in  extent 
to  allow  their  true  Thanksgiving  proper  expansion,  arranged  to  take  their  dinner  in  a  basket  and  eat 
what  was  the  first  Thanksgiving  dinner  ever  eaten,  by  a  white  man  at  least,  on  Peace  and  Plenty  Farm 
(this  is  our  own  pet  name  for  the  place).  The  little  portable  was  warm  and  the  drawing  table  supple- 
mented by  an  extremely  low  rocker,  one  extremely  high  rush-bottomed  chair,  several  dynamite  boxes 
and  the  mattress  of  a  cot  bed,  made  this  dinner  unique  in  a  great  diversity  of  respects. 

25 


"As  an  appetizer,  the  orchard  and  growing  rye  were  found  remarkable,  and  the  old  car  which  had 
once  served  as  a  refrigerator  car  on  the  once-famous  Long  Island-Boston  milk  train  now  almost  forgotten, 
gave  the  children  an  opportunity  which  they  have  longed  for,  of  being  'real  railroad  men,'  utiUzing  the 
low  platform  with  its  brake  as  a  locomotive  of  express  speed. 

"By  means  of  an  object  lesson,  consisting  of  peanut  brittle,  figs,  velvet  molasses  and  a  very  careful 
and  lengthy  explanation,  the  Italian  gang  were  made  at  last  to  understand  what  the  American  Thanks- 
giving was  about,  and  finally  by  combining  Spanish  with  English,  reward  was  secured  and  some  feast 
day  called  'Succore"  held  in  Italy  was  discovered,  this  evidently  being  a  day  of  similar  meaning  to  the 
Italian  race." 

And  I  might  add  that  every  man  jack  of  them  later  passed  the  door,  raised  his  hat  and  said,  "T'ank 
you,  boss."     Boss  to  them  is  feminine  as  well  as  mascuHne. 

But  to  return  to  the  march  of  events.  Thanksgiving  cottage  was  moved,  a  new  one  erected  over 
the  cellar,  and  the  3-room  farther  west  in  the  wind-break.  We  selected  as  much  tree  shelter  as  we  could 
for  each  cottage,  knowing  the  shade  would  be  welcome  during  the  heat  of  summer. 

Shelves  were  put  in  for  clothes,  books,  etc.,  while  kitchen  cupboards,  diminutive  pantries,  and  table 
shelves  made  the  kitchen  arrangements  of  the  cottages  complete.  We  were  to  eat  in  the  office  end 
of  Thanksgiving  cottage,  for  6  of  us  were  to  sleep  in  the  4-room  "Homestead." 

Pruning  time  was  here,  so  we  sallied  forth  to  see  how  our  orchard  fared.  With  fear  and  trembling 
we  went  over  it;  returned  rejoicing  in  the  fact  that  not  a  tree  was  dead  and  even  this  early  (March  22d) 
they  showed  signs  of  awakening. 

Rain,  sleet,  and  snow  now  prevented  outdoor  work;  there  was  plenty  inside,  however,  and  the 
carpenter's  hammer  still  rang.  The  last  day  of  March  being  clear,  we  set  out  some  dormant  plants 
about  the  house  plot;   roses,  ornamental  grasses,  iris,  and  such  things. 

At  home  the  tomatoes  had  grown  strong  and  sturdy;  we  were  giving  them  all  the  air  possible  to 
keep  them  stocky,  and  now  they  needed  transplanting.  Potted  plants  fruit  much  earlier  than  unpotted 
ones;  early  fruit  brings  the  highest  price:  ergo,  ours  should  be  potted.  John  and  I  set  to  work,  making 
the  chickens'  scratching  house  our  workshop.  A  case  of  paper  pots  was  to  our  hand;  some  earth  from 
the  hotbed  and  the  seedlings  completed  the  outfit.  John  filled  the  pots,  I  set  the  plants,  a  whole  day 
and  they  were  not  done  yet;  another  half  day  and  we  had  the  bed's  capacity  filled,  1,300  pots  returned 
to  the  frame  to  await  warmer  weather  for  transporting.  We  were  rather  proud  of  that  bunch.  For 
several  days  they  were  kept  well  watered,  shaded  and  cool,  until  the  fine  roots  should  have  gained  a  new 
foothold.  Cabbage  and  cauliflower  were  thriving,  though  not  to  our  liking,  tomatoes  need  heat,  the 
others  cold,  so  the  latter  were  being  somewhat  coddled. 

April  1st  and  the  barn  not  yet  complete.  There  was  only  one  thing  to  do,  coax  Neighbor  Robin- 
son to  rent  us  his  team  again  until  we  could  get  our  horses.  On  the  2d,  plowing  started  on  acres  1  and  2. 
The  rye  was  15  inches  high — alas  for  the  prophets — and  was  being  turned  under  to  do  untold  good. 
Fine  roots  of  huckleberry  and  sweet  fern  still  kept  coming  up  and  we  knew  the  fight  with  them  was 
destined  to  be  a  long  and  hard  one.  The  harrow  gathered  them  up  somewhat,  but  still  they  were  ob- 
structionists. 

The  annual  forest  fires  started  to  the  west  of  us;  strenuous  effort  on  the  part  of  all  the  force  of 
workmen  saved  that  section  of  the  Island  from  again  burning  over;  a  second  fire  a  few  days  later  with  a 
westerly  wind  met  its  own  defeat  against  the  fence  of  the  cleared  land  of  the  Experimental  Station. 

By  the  end  of  the  first  week  in  April  work  was  swinging  at  a  rapid  pace,  land  was  being  plowed  as 
fast  as  possible,  the  stable  nearly  complete,  so  that  on  the  7th  the  2  "condemned"  express  horses  (con- 
demned because  their  feet  were  worn  out  by  city  pavements  and  for  no  other  reason)  arrived.  Great 
big  beautiful  fellows,  one  a  gray  with  a  little  Percheron  in  him  immediately  named  "Buckeye,"  while  the 
other,  a  Roman-nosed  buckskin,  received  the  name  "Texas,"  in  recognition  of  his  ancestry. 

Horse  and  hand  implements  were  being  assembled,  these  consisted  of  Planet  Jr.  one  horse  culti- 
vator, horse  leveler,  hand  drills,  hand  cultivators,  a  roller,  and  a  plow. 

Three  plum  trees  were  heeled  in  the  fall  and  saved  for  spring  planting,  for  comparison  with  the  fall 
planted  stock;   these  were  now  set  out,  2  in  the  chicken  yard,  1  near  the  little  cottage. 

On  the  11th  grass  seed  was  sown  about  the  house  plot,  a  mixture  of  Burpee's  "Fordhook  Famous" 
and  his  "Shady  Nook."  It  was  brushed  in  with  the  cedar  trees.  To  the  southwest  of  the  house  a  small 
plot  was  sown  with  U.  8.  Government  grass  seed;  a  row  of  Haricot  beans,  also  from  the  Government, 
bordered  it,  so  it  became  known  as  "Government  plot."  Some  plants  with  lovely  copper  tags  bearing 
enormous  numbers  were  also  planted  here;  they  throve  well,  but  things  without  a  name  are  never  as 
sweet  to  me  as  ones  with  names,  even  though  long  Latin  ones. 

As  the  land  was  finally  prepared  for  seeding,  it  was  done  in  this  manner.  Rye  turned  under  with 
the  plow,  followed  by  disc  harrow,  followed  by  spring  tooth  harrow,  followed  by  leveler,  which,  by  the 
way,  is  one  of  the  best  and  least  appreciated  or  used  of  farm  implements.  It  levels  uneven  spots,  breaks 
clods,  and  pulverizes  the  soil. 

The  "gude  mon"  came  home  and  said,  "Those  cussed  wiry  huckleberry  roots  are  still  so  thick,  I 
don't  see  how  the  hand  drills  will  ever  work  among  them.  We  simply  can't  spare  time  to  rake  them  out 
by  hand." 

"Why  don't  you  borrow  a  regular  horse  hay  rake,  I  should  think  that  would  clear  them  up  a  bit." 

"Level  head,"  he  exclaimed.  We  borrowed  a  rake  and  it  worked  Hke  a  charm,  2  carloads  to  the 
acre  of  those  "cussed  roots"  came  out  and  were  promptly  burned. 

April  14th  was  ushered  in  with  a  light  white  frost,  but  hand  drills  started  early  and  by  night  4 
varieties  of  radishes,  covering  half  an  acre,  and  3  varieties  of  peas  had  been  planted;  also  Sakurajima — 
a  Japanese  radish.  The  drills  worked  hard  and  unevenly,  going  into  the  soil  deep,  then  checking  against 
roots.  A  2-man  method  was  invented,  1  pulling  with  a  lialter,  the  other  pushing.  But  the  men,  John 
and  Ted,  soon  found  they  could  work  them  alone. 

In  going  over  the  diary  for  April,  one's  head  fairly  spins  with  the  work  accomplished.  Plants  were 
removed  from  Huntington  to  the  farm,  tomatoes  were  placed  in  the  implement  shed  until  a  cold  frame 


Anivnl   at   No.    1   of   Horses   "Buckeye"  and   "Texas 


The    Well-Diilleib'    Unip-Weight    Served    as    a    lii.ad    i;..! 


could  be  built  to  receive  them.  Cabbage  and  cauliflower  were  set  at  once  in  the  field,  being  covered 
with  paper  pots  for  a  few  days  to  prevent  wilting,  and  sometimes  at  night  to  guard  against  cold. 

Lettuce,  beets,  onions,  spinach,  parsnips,  endive,  scorzonera,  celery  (in  the  seed-bed),  and  com 
were  drilled  in  by  the  little  Planet  Jr.,  hand  drills,  those  exquisite  little  time-savers. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  work  they  will  do  in  this  new  ground  it  required  25  minutes  to  plant  8 
rows  of  parsnips,  each  row  100  feet  long. 

To  plant  3  rows  each  of  4  different  varieties  of  lettuce  consumed  45  minutes,  and  this  of  course 
meant  empty  and  fill  the  drill  for  each  new  variety. 

Lettuce  plants  and  cabbage  plants  from  a  Huntington  grower  were  set  out  (we  wished  to  test  trans- 
planted lettuce  with  that  grown  in  drills  and  only  thinned).  Chives,  shallots,  Pe-tsai,  carrots,  and 
radishes  from  North  China  were  all  sowed.  Udo,  the  Japanese  celery,  was  planted  to  the  east  of  the 
raspberries. 

On  the  21st  all  trees  and  shrubs  were  sprayed  with  "Scalecide,"  as  a  preventive  against  the  San 
Jose  scale.  To  do  the  orchard  and  berries  required  1  hour  and  15  minutes,  and  8  gallons  of  the  mixture 
(1-3  gal.  Scalecide  at  60c.  per  gallon) ;  not  a  very  costly  ounce  of  prevention. 

A  portion  of  the  lawn  was  sprinkled  as  a  first  test  of  irrigation.  On  the  26th  of  April  the  grass 
seed  had  germinated  on  this  portion  only. 

Potatoes  were  planted  this  month — nine  varieties  as  a  test  of  their  earliness,  productiveness  and 
qualities. 

On  the  night  of  the  22d  the  "hustler"  came  home  and  exclaimed:   "A  plum  is  in  bloom." 

"Where?     In  our  garden?" 

"Our  garden  nothing.  No.  1  of  course." 

"Why  it  can't  be,"  I  exclaimed,  "you  know  they  really  ought  not  to  be  alive  and  they  can't  bloom 
the  first  year." 

"I  don't  care,  it's  in  bloom  and  a  lot  of  the  others  show  fruit  buds." 

"Whose  trees?     New  York  or  Pennsy?" 

"Pennsy,  all  their  trees  are  way  ahead,  they're  ahve  to  the  tips  and  some  of  them  are  in  leaf,  while 
New  York's  are  only  in  budwith  no  fruit  buds,  and  many  of  the  branches  have  died  back  three  or  four 
inches,"  he  replied. 

"Score  1  for  No.  1,"  I  said.  Everyone  said  you  should  move  stock  south  to  have  it  produce  earlier, 
but  we  know  that  Pennsy's  stock  stood  the  better  chance,  for  they  showed  more  careful  packing  and 
the  trees  looked  sturdier  and  had  great  numbers  of  fibrous  roots.  Anyhow,  no  one  can  say  they  did 
not  have  a  fair  show,  for  they  were  warned  of  the  contest  and  came  prepared  to  meet  victory,  defeat  or 
a  tie. 

Chill  drizzly  weatherjnow^prevented  further  planting  afield.  A  cold  frame  was  erected  in  the  lee 
of  the  barn  and  tomato  plants  transferred  there.  They  were  showing  the  need  of  overhead  light,  al- 
though still  stocky  and  strong.  Rain,  however,  rushed  vegetation  along  and  rhubarb  and  Udo  jumped 
out  of  the  ground  like  a  "Jack  in  the  Box." 

The  painters  were  busy  on  all  buildings,  while  the  homestead  was  being  completed  and  furnished 
for  our  occupancy,  for  the  farm  needed  us  every  hour,  day  and  night,  this  its  first  tender  year.  The 
call  of  its  tender  youth  was  strong  upon  me,  for  I  adore  babies  of  every  description,  but  the  dear  old 
home  must  first  be  placed  in  good  keeping  before  I  could  fly. 

The  office  completed  and  desk  in  place,  the  stenographer  took  up  her  abode  at  the  farm  with  our 
EngUsh  family,  helping  until  I  came,  with  the  daily  records  of  the  multitude  of  things  accomplished 
each  day. 

To  quote  from  the'diary,  April  30th: 

"More  lettuce,  spinach,  and  salsify  up  and  apparently  glad  it  came.  Brought  further  live  stock 
to  the  farm  in  the  shape  of  2  setting  hens.  (This  was  my  scheme,  I  wanted  young  chicks,  could  not 
set  the  hens  at  home  and  being  afraid  the  trip  would  'break  them  up,'  I  put  each  hen  in  a  box  with  hay 
and  3  china  eggs  under  her.  They  traveled  the  33  miles  setting  all  the  way.  I  doubt  if  anything  could 
have  disturbed  them  with  the  eggs  under  their  breasts.     Wonderful  nature  of  motherhood!) 

"Set  out  880  cauliflower  from  the  hotbed. 

"Being  unable  to  secure  plumbing  experts,  made  a  practical  demonstration  that  an  English  soldier 
and  an  American  cowboy  could  cut  pipe  and  affix  fittings  without  stupendous  diSiculty,  and  further 
make  absolutely  tight  joints." 

This  same  "skilled  labor"  (non-union  men,  however)  made  for  us  the  "dandiest"  little  bathroom 
ever  a  farm  beheld.  Beside  the  pump  head  in  the  lean-to  was  a  space  about  six  feet  long  and  three  feet 
wide.  This  was  boarded  in,  a  cement  floor  laid  slanting  to  one  corner;  pipe  run  through  and  tap  at- 
tached. A  tiny  bathtub  was  placed  across  the  end  of  the  room,  a  2-hole  oil  stove  back  of  it  and  raised 
on  boxes  to  the  level  of  the  tub.  A  wash  boiler  with  brass  spigot  in  its  side  near  the  bottom  crowned 
the  stove  and  here  was  the  hot  water  supply.  No  one  could  ask  for  a  better  bath,  and  the  cowboy- 
soldier  combination  made  it  all  after  the  strenuous  outdoor  day  work  was  done. 

Lima  beans  were  planted  on  the  last  day  of  April,  although  I  believe  the  proper  old-fashioned 
time  is  the  afternoon  of  the  29th  of  May,  or  some  such  jargon. 

We  were  also  _^utterly  disrespectful  of  the  light  and  dark  of  the  moon.  All  root  crops  being  in 
our  forefathers'  day  planted  in  the  "dark"  and  all  upper  crops  in  the  "light."  To  us,  nature's  signs 
are  the  best;  when  the  maple  is  in  bud,  in  leaf  and  in  bloom  are  sure  signs,  for  she  never  makes  a  mistake. 
Her  chats  with  "Old  Prob."  are  in  a  better  and  surer  language  than  ours. 

April  gone!  with  its  sweet  odors  nowhere  so  sweet  as  on  new  land  surrounded  by  woods,  rapid 
growth;  continuous  surprises.     The  month  of  tears  and  sunshine — and  strenuous  work. 

May  day  started  with  the  planting  of  corn  and  beans,  finishing  the  last  cleared  acre  of  the  dairy 
and  resowing  celery  in  the  seed-bed.  This  seed-bed  was  one  of  the  Farm's  semi-failures;  we  selected 
a  plot  to  the  south  and  east  of  the  chicken  yard,  warm  and  protected.  It  was  forked  over  with  a  goodly 
quantity  of  manure  and  raked  as  fine  as  possible.     Somehow  it  baked  and  celery  being  so  slow  to  germ- 

28 


inate  (3  weeks),  the  surface  could  not  be  broken.  It  needed  old  light,  friable  black  soil,  such  as  we 
should  have  had  if  forest  fires  had  not  robbed  us.  Too  much  care  cannot  be  expended  on  a  seed-bed, 
and  a  seed-bed  is  one  of  a  farm's  most  valuable  adjuncts. 

Cultivation  started  on  the  fourth  of  May;  peas  and  radishes  being  far  enough  advanced  to  have  the 
Planet  Jr.  hand  cultivators  run  through  them.  The  rows  were  rough,  crooked  and  irregular,  showing 
plainly  where  the  drill,  running  into  a  bunch  of  roots,  had  choked,  and,  being  released  farther  on,  dropped 
the  accumulated  seed.  Peas  did  not  show  this  irregularity  as  much  as  radishes,  but  we  were  content 
when  we  saw  the  seed  coming  along  in  the  bare  spaces  a  Uttle  later,  for  we  felt  we  would  have  a  succession 
just  as  good  as  a  second  planting.  Our  surmise  proved  true,  for  radishes  continued  maturing  for  one 
month. 

The  5th  was  lost  in  a  big  sea  fog,  that  great  factor  in  Long  Island's  agricultural  success.  They 
steal  in  during  the  night  at  frequent  intervals,  covering  leaves  and  soil  with  a  soft  film  of  moisture, 
giving  a  crispness  and  freshness  to  foliage  which  inland  plants  are  denied.  It  is  no  wonder  cauliflower 
ia  so  happy  on  the  Island. 

On  the  acres  not  needed  for  early  planting  the  rye  was  allowed  to  grow  as  long  as  possible.  It 
ran  up  to  34  and  39  inches  on  some  acres,  with  signs  of  early  and  full  heading,  which  proved  to  our  entire 
satisfaction  that  a  rye  crop  on  newly  developed  land  would  be  a  paying  one. 

On  the  7th  the  dairy  says:  "Set  out  100  Long  Island  Beauty  Cauliflower  between  the  rows  of 
Extra  Early  Peas.  Asparagus  up,  potatoes  up,  red  and  orange  carrots  from  North  China  up,  artichoke, 
and  kohl-rabi  and  nectarine  in  bloom." 

John  was  working  on  the  farm  by  this  time,  although  his  wife  and  family  (consisting  of  one  cat 
and  a  few  pet  house  plants)  had  not  yet  arrived.  This  made  3  three  men  on  the  13  acres,  not  quite  as 
much  help  as  one  would  expect  "Pennsy"  millions  to  employ. 

Canada  wood  ashes  ^\'ith  its  40%  vegetable  lime  had  arrived  and  we  sowed  them  where  we  felt 
they  were  most  needed;  about  the  house  plot  principally,  for  this  section  had  received  next  to  none  of 
the  native  ashes.  Acre  No.  3  in  the  dairy  also  received  200  pounds,  for  it  was  newly  plowed  in  the  spring 
and  had  received  no  manure  whatever.  We  knew  the  ashes  could  not  make  up  for  the  manure  humus, 
but  we  wished  to  do  the  best  we  could  for  the  poor  thing. 

"I'm  awfully  sorry  about  that  acre,"  the  Senior  Partner  said. 

"But  just  think  what  a  beautiful  test  of  the  soil's  capabilities,"  I  replied.  "We'll  see  what  she'll 
do  unaided  and  alone." 

About  this  time  Mr.  Peters  made  the  farm  a  visit.     One  of  his  first  exclamations  was: 

"0,  Mr.  FuUerton,  where  are  the  nasturtiums  for  these  roots?  You're  late,  ours  at  home^have 
broken  ground." 

He  was  led  to  the  cold-frame  where  mine  in  pots  were  making  trellises  of  the  tomato  plants. 

"All  right,"  he  said.     "You'll  win." 

That  night  we  moved  out.  The  children,  the  cat,  the  faithful  nurse  and  I.  Our  baggage  was  in 
boxes  made  to  roll  under  the  beds,  for  the  economy  of  space  was  to  be  a  large  feature.  Put  4  people 
to  sleep  in  a  room  12  x  12,  2  of  them  active,  healthy  children,  and  every  inch  of  room  must  be  utilized 
to  the  best  advantage.  These  boxes  were  on  ball-bearing  casters  and  had  a  good  handle  on  the  front 
of  each,  they  rolled  out  easily  and  held  our  simple  country  wardrobes  to  perfection. 

The  next  day  being  balmy,  my  first  task  was  to  set  some  pet  plants  of  forget-me-nots  from  the  home 
acre  in  a  bed  to  the  east  of  the  house;  asters,  pansies,  coboeas  and  the  nasturtiums  were  also  planted, 
giving  us  the  nucleus  hi  a  flower  garden. 

Black  beetle  had  attacked  the  tomatoes  in  full  force;  where  these  and  all  the  rest  of  the  pests  known 
to  creation  came  from  is  a  mystery  .  Everyone  said  we  would  at  least  be  free  from  them,  but  we  were 
forearmed  and  had  a  quantity  of  "killers"  on  hand. 

A  heavy  sifting  of  fine  coal  ashes  saved  the  tomatoes,  but  they  simply  ate  every  eggplant  during 
the  night.     They  are  about  the  meanest,  peskiest  little  creatures  alive. 

There  was  thunder  on  April  18th,  and  we  decided  it  was  about  time  for  tomatoes  to  go'afield, 
they  had  long  outgrown  the  cold-frame  and  the  "Earliest  Pinks"  were  in  bud. 

Some  lettuce,  Brussels  sprouts,  and  flowering  plants  came  from  a  big  commercial  grower  in  Mary- 
land; they  arrived  in  such  bad  condition  that  the  sprouts  were  absolutely  worthless,  a  few  lettuce  were 
planted  on  "a  chance,"  but  soon  gave  up  the  ghost.  The  flower  plants,  a  few  geraniums,  hollyhocks, 
perennial  phlox,  and  chrysanthemums  were  packed  better  and  did  well  during  the  Summer. 

We  were  hearing  tales  of  woe  from  our  neighbors  about  the  frost  on  the  11th. 

"Well,  I  suppose  you  lost  everything  the  other  night.  Neighbor  FuUerton?"  they  would  say. 

"Why,  no,  I  can't  see  that  anything  is  harmed  except  the  tips  of  the  leaves  of  the  corn  and  the 
Moyashe  Udo." 

"Corn !     You  ain't  got  corn  planted  yet,  have  y'u,  why  we're  just  aplowin'?" 

"Yes,  I  went  up  on  the  tank  tower  yesterday  and  I  see  we're  just  about  two  weeks  ahead  of  you," 
he  said. 

"But  didn't  you  lose  your  beans?"  the  neighbors  queried. 

"Beans,  bless  your  hearts,  no,  my  beans  arn't  up  yet.  What  are  you  planting  beans  for  in  April? 
Why  don't  you  plant  radishes  and  peas  and  cabbage  and  cauliflower  and  such  things,  that  don't  mind 
frost?" 

"Well,  we  thought  we'd  beat  you  tarnal  book  farmers  and  have  our  beans  up  ahead  of  your'n, 
but  I  guess  you've  got  the  best  of  it."     And  they  disappeared  utterly  disgusted  with  our  "book  farmin'." 

"The  trees  are  in  leaf,  it's  time  to  plant  squash  and  pumpkin  and  cucumbers,"  said  I. 

So  in  they  went,  while  caladium,  gladiolus  and  oxalis  were  added  to  the  house  plot.  Wild  cucum- 
bers, that  rapid  climber  with  its  pretty  feathery  white  blossom  and  queer  prickly  seed  pod,  were  planted 
wherever  we  could  find  a  place  for  th  em  to  chmb. 

Then  the  crows  began  to  talk  a  nd  we  heard  them  deciding  that  we  were  now  a  portion  of  civiliza- 

29 


tion,  while  the  cabbage  and  cauliflower  butterflies  were  so  delighted  to  find  a  new  farm,  they  decided 
not  to  fly  farther. 

The  fields  were  rough,  and  it  was  next  to  impossible  to  plant  in  straight  rows,  in  some  cases  we 
were  forced  to  make  a  drill  by  hand  and  plant  by  hand,  at  other  times  a  furrow  was  opened  by  hoe  and 
the  seed  drill  run  upon  it.  In  other  places  the  horses  plowed  a  furrow,  hand  planting  following.  Certain 
it  is  whatever  method  was  pursued  the  soil  responded  and  the  plants  were  just  as  happy  crooked  as 
straight. 

On  May  16th  we  shipped  the  first  product  of  the  farm — a  bunch  of  radishes  to  j\Ir.  Peters.  He 
is  the  Fairy  Godfather  and  always  receives  the  first  or  the  biggest,  as  the  children  say.  They  were  as 
anxious  for  him  to  have  it  as  we  were,  and  the  first  of  everything  from  their  own  wee  gardens  was  re- 
ligiously sent  to  him. 

Oii  the  21st  the  Suffolk  County  Press  Association  held  their  annual  meeting  at  No.  1.  They  dined 
out  of  doors  "al  fresco,"  eating  of  the  crops  growing  not  a  dozen  paces  away.  To  them  the  farm  was  a 
revelation,  for  all  of  them  were  familiar  with  the  vast  tracts  of  unused  lands  and  to  them  it  meant  a 
new  era  for  the  Island  they  are  all  working  for  so  earnestly. 

To  quote  from  one  of  the  number : 

Wonderful  Long  Island  Soil 

H.   B.   Fnllerton   Shows  Newspaper   Men   Mavvelous   Results  from    Seientific    Use 

Long  Island  soil  is  adapted  to  the  growing  of  all  kinds  of  fruit  and  vegetables  in  a  degree  that  is  only 
just  beginning  to  be  realized.  It  has  long  been  a  jjopular  superstition  that  the  Island  was  a  barren  sand  waste, 
which  could  grow  only  mar.>.h  grass,  and  that  none  too  profusely.  There  are  still  a  very  few  people  outside  of 
the  Island  who  believe  it  can  grow  more  than  pound  for  pound  of  vegetables  to  bone  fertilizer.  It  is  safe  to 
say  that  there  is  not  a  baker's  dozen  of  people  in  all  of  New  York  City  who  know  the  unlimited  possibilities 
of  the  Long  Island  soil. 

A  day  of  awakening  is  near  at  hand,  however.  A  man  keenly  alive  to  the  real  agricultural  situation  on 
the  Island  (his  name  is  H.  B.  Fullerton)  has  come  into  contact  with  a  man  keenly  alive  to  the  promising 
future  of  all  of  suburban  New  York;  and  the  result  is  that  the  Island  will  be  developed  with  intelligence  and 
patience  along  the  very  lines  which  Nature  designed  for  it. 

Ralph  Peters  is  the  president  of  the  Long  Island  Railroad  and  the  man  who  is  alive  to  the  promising 
future  of  the  suburbs  of  New  York.  When  Mr.  Fullerton,  who  can  give  the  author  of  the  "Simple  Life"  cards 
and  spades  in  "getting  back  to  nature."  showed  Mr.  Peters  what  he  had  done  in  a  small  way  with  Long  Island 
soil  on  his  own  place  at  Huntington,  Mr.  Peters  said,  "Fullerton,  you  can  doubt  theories,  but  these  are  facts," 
or  words  to  that  effect;  and  became  so  possessed  of  an  enthusiasm  fur  Long  Island  soil  that  he  was  not  satis- 
fied until  the  railroad  itself  had  taken  hold  of  the  task  of  demonstrating  the  soil's  productiveness. 

Well,  the  railroad  has  the  task  well  under  way;  and  you  wouldn't  believe,  unless  you  had  seen,  what  has 
been  accomplished  since  last  fall. 

Ten  acres  of  what  was  then  virgin,  tangled,  oak  land,  a  little  at  the  west  of  the  Wading  River  station, 
the  last  station  on  the  Port  Jefferson  branch  of  the  road,  are  now  under  cultivation  and  growing  almost  every 
conceivable  kind  of  fruit,  vegetables,  and  flowers.  Think  of  it!  It  was  the  despised  "Long  Island  scrub  oak 
land"  last  fall!     And  now  it  is  under  cultivation   and   bearing  the   tenderest   of  garden   truck. 

"Why,  certainly,"  many  a  scoffer  has  been  heard  to  say  about  it,  "the  experimental  farm  had  the  dollars 
<jf  the  railroad  back  of  it  to  buy  fertilizer  with.  Of  course  you  can  make  thirty  cents  grow  if  you  plant  a 
double  eagle."  But  the  joke  is  "on  the  scoffer;  for  this  rich  little  farm,  which  has  been  gi-owing  only  trees, 
moss,  liiiiklcbeny  vines,  and  rattlesnakes  since  Columbus  came  over  on  the  Hamburg-American  or  wliatevcr 
line  of  steamers  it  was,  and  nominated  himself  for  discoverer  of  America,  this  little  farm  has  not  used  an 
ounce  of  that  supposed  cherished  necessity  of  Long  Island  farming — bone  fertilizer.  Mr.  Fullerton  knew  that 
the  use  of  it  would  sound  the  death  knell  to  his  enterprise.  « 

The  land  was  freed  from  stumps  and  the  stumps  were  burned  on  the  place.  On  one  acre  there  were  over 
.•-even  hundred  of  them.  The  wood  ashes  were  left  on  the  ground  and  the  ten  acres  which  were  cleared  were 
sowed  with  lye,  which  in  the  spring  was  plowed  under.  Then,  in  planting  the  peas,  radishes,  and  what  not, 
very  poor  horse  manure  was  used.     So   much  for  fertilizer,  fish,   bone,  and  every  other  kind — except   water! 

And  there  is  the  secret.  There's  water  enough  on  Peace  and  Plenty  Farm.  There's  a  little  kerosene 
engine  which  pumps  it  up  from  the  earth  and  fills  a  tank.  Cheap  iron  pipes  carry  it  to  the  farm;  and  there 
isn't  a  piece  of  the  land  that  cannot  be  reached  by  it.  Old  Sol  can  beat  down  as  he  will,  and  Jupiter  Pluvius 
go  on  as  prolonged  a  spree  as  ho  will,  and  neglect  his  business;  the  crops  will  grow  because  they  have  the 
water.  It  is  cheap  irrigation,  too.  Here,  again,  the  "money  bags"  of  the  railroad  have  not  been  foolishly 
opened.  The  method  of  keeping  the  crops  wet  is  such  as  any  bright  youi;g  man  might  go  into  as  an  invest- 
ment on  his  farm. 

Kvrrythii;g  on  the  farm  is  practical;  and  every  effort  has  been  niailr  t<i  make  the  place  a  working  model 
wliich  a  business  man  could  copy.  The  aim  has  been  to  make  it  an  economical  market  garden,  growing  the 
finest  produce  on  "Long  Island's  barren  sand  wastes,"  to  put  on  the  breakfa.st  and  dinner  tables  of  that  great 
mart  of  all   marts   for  fresli   vegetables  and  fruit — New  York   City. 

The  Long  Island  Railroad  invited  the  members  of  the  Suffolk  County  Press  Association  to  inspect  the 
farm  oh  Monday  and  placed  a  private  train  of  two  cars  at  their  disposal.  Mr.  Fullerton  was  the  host  in  charge, 
on  the  train  and  on  the  farm,  assisted  at  the  latter  place  by  Mrs.  Fullerton,  who  is,  herself,  an  authority  on 
horticulture. 

A  dinner  was  served  under  the  trees  on  the  farm  on  the  arrival  of  the  train  about  noontime.  About 
twelve  of  the  Island  scribes  spent  one  of  the  most  enjoyable  days  of  their  lives  on  this  occasion;  but,  more 
important,   were  impressed  as  never  before  with  the  possibilities  of  Long  Island  soil. 

—Amityrillc  Record,   May   25th,    190(). 

A  drought  was  starting,  warm  high  winds  were  blowing  steadily  day  and  night,  a  more  trying  con- 
dition could  not  be  found.  The  irrigation  sprayers  were  started  in  the  peas,  radishes  and  lettuce,  still  they 
did  not  respond  as  we  wanted  them  to. 

"Try  some  nitrate  of  soda  and  see  if  that  will  give  them  a  boost,"  I  said. 

"I  hate  to  do  it,"  the  Senior  Partner  replied,  "  for  I  know  as  well  as  anyone  they  need  cultivation 
they  have  not  received." 

"Would  you  mind  telling  me  where  anyone  has  had  time  to  cultivate  anything?  Take  3  men  on 
13  acres  of  new  land  and  plant  everything  ever  heard  of  and  some  that  never  were  and  there  is  no  time 
left  for  cultivation,"  I  exclaimed.  "We  know  they  need  cultivation  and  a  lot  else  needs  it  too,  but  we 
can't  have  an  ideal  market-garden  here  this  year.     Look  what  the  soil  has  done  already." 

On  the  23d  John  mixed  .some  nitrate  of  soda  with  earth,  half  and  half,  and  sowed  it  beside  the  peas, 
lettuce,  cabbage  and  cauliflower  ("cauliflower  between  the  peas,  I  mean,  only  100  plants.) 

30 


^ 


That  was  60  pounds  of  nitrate  the  only  fertiHzer  the  crops  ever  had.  Still  we  kept  the  sprayers 
going,  for  the  drought  lasted  until  the  2d  of  June,  but  peas  yielded,  radishes  were  so  thick  there  was  not 
force  enough  to  gather  and  ship  them,  while  lettuce  began  heading  up  in  excellent  shape. 

The  last  of  May  gave  us  the  first  discord  in  our  farm  family.  A  woman  we  had  befriended  had 
been  growing  grumpier  and  grumpier  for  some  time,  while  a  member  of  her  family  was  often  sullen  and 
morose.     A  cloud-burst  was  soon  to  appear,  we  felt  the  human  thunder  in  the  air. 

At  last  the  pleas  from  her  "that  there  was  more  than  one  pair  of  hands  could  do,"  although  she 
had  been  working  for  a  much  larger  family,  decided  the  question.  She  was  either  to  stay  under  the  same 
conditions  without  further  trouble  from  her,  or  go.     Go  it  was,  and  that  promptly  on  June  1st. 

The  last  day  of  May  the  man  boarded  the  train  from  New  York  without  leave.  The  Master  ordered 
him  back  from  Port  Jefferson  on  the  grounds  of  desertion.  He  did  not  return  and  the  woman  disappeared 
that  afternoon,  returning  about  9  P.  M.  in  a  disturbed  frame  of  mind.  The  secret  was  out.  The  man 
returned  the  following  night  in  an  upset  condition,  announced  himself  a  deserter  not  only  from  the 
farm  but  also  from  the  English  army  and  that  he  was  a  dangerous  man  generally.  Amid  storm  and 
much  unpleasantness  and  many  more  incidents,  the  episode,  although  closed,  left  with  us  a  feeling  of 
regret  for  a  man  who  just  missed  being  a  useful  and  fine  member  of  the  community.  .  Powerful,  well- 
built,  willing,  obedient,  faithful,  many  fine  traits,  all  spoiled  by  one  weakness. 

f^    Yes,  we  had  our  troubles.     But  Mike,  the  Italian,  was  with  us  now,  loyal  and  faithful,  though  3 
hands  for  these  13  acres  was  short  help. 


How  we  coaxed  feathered  insecticides  to  make  their  home  with  us  and 
save  us  time  and  monev 


The  "Bird  Bath"   at  No.   1 


Lettuce  of  Choicest  Strain 


Summer 


THE  first  day  of  June  and  I  am  going  to  invite  you  into  the  dairy-plot  with  me. 
A  walk  from  the  front  gate  where  the  lawn  was  showing  green,  flawers  growing  happily 
and  vines  beginning  to  climb;  past  or  through  the  little  portable  with  its  books,  pictures,  and 
atmosphere  of  a  busy  life,  out  to  the  drive-turn  m  the  middle  of  which  was  my  vegetable  fl3wer 
bed.  Here  scarlet-runner  beans  were  starting  up  the  young  oak  saved  from  the  fire's  destruction. 
Cardoon  around  the  tree,  now  borage  with  its  large  hairy  leaves  and  a  tuft  of  buds  in  the  center,  then 
peppers  and  a  large  circle  of  rampion  gorgeous  with  its  delicate  violet  bells  and  parsley  bordering  the 
bed. 

Down  the  middle  of  the  road  (which  by  the  way  is  not  the  middle  but  one-third  the  distance  from 
the  north  to  the  south  fence)  past  the  chicken  house  where  the  fowl  were  happily  ensconced,  a  glimpse 
of  rhubarb  raising  its  enormous  leaves  above  some  kegs  and  boxes  placed  about  the  crown. 

To  the  left  the  orchard,  every  tree  showing  rich  foilage  of  superb  color,  here  an  apricot  standing 
out  with  its  exquisite  pinkish  leaves,  there  a  cherry  almost  black  with  intensity  of  vigor.  The  tomatoes 
between  the  rows  of  trees  showing  at  a  glance  which  were  potted  and  which  from  a  nurseryman's  seed- 
bed, the  former  erect,  sturdy,  keeping  right  on  with  their  life's  work;  the  latter  drooping,  wilted,  making 
a  hard  struggle  to  gain  a  foothold. 

To  the  right  the  lettuce  drilled  in,  emerald  green  and  reddish  brown,  peas  dwarfed  yellowing  show- 
ing the  need  of  an  experimenter's  mind  and  care  in  their  behalf,  radishes  in  the  distance,  rows  upon 
rows  of  them,  with  transplanted  lettuce  in  every  third  row  (this  plot  was  singled  out  for  super-intensive 
cultivation).  Next  beets  with  tops  of  rich  red  and  sombre  green  growing  in  ragged  rows,  more  coming 
up  each  day  telling  again  of  a  prolonged  successive  yield,  then  onions  telling  the  same  story  with  cabbage 
plantlets  from  a  Huntington  grower  in  the  background. 

To  the  right  an  unplanted  acre,  heaps  of  old  manure  dotted  upon  it;  this  is  to  be  the  melon  field, 
near  the  house  and  in  full  view  of  our  buildings,  a  wise  location  for  melons.  Next  this  field  the  potatoes 
with  a  small  boy,  can  in  hand,  picking  the  "potato  bugs."  The  leaves  show  where  bordeaux  and  paris 
green  had  been  applied  the  day  before,  but  the  Colorado  beetle  cared  naught  for  its  presence. 

The  next  acre  shows  queer  patches  of  early  cauliflower,  early  corn,  and  parsnips — a  sad  tale  the 
cauliflower  tells  of  being  raised  with  the  heat  loving  tomatoes  and  then  no  one  to  cultivate  it  when  it 
had  been  set  out  but  a  few  days.  Here  and  there  a  huge  one  of  superb  color  proclaimed  where  a  bonfire 
had  burned  last  fall,  telling  better  than  words  the  value  of  wood  pushes  upon  new  land.  To  the  right 
of  the  road,  the  last  acre  before  the  dairy  gate  is  reached,  a  patchwork  quilt  of  true  market-garden  type. 
First  some  beautiful  cabbage  plants  of  early  Jersey  Wakefield  and  All  Head,  grown  in  the  same  hotbed 
as  the  cauliflower  but  feeling  change  much  less;  behind  it  a  patch  of  tiny  feathery  carrots,  the  pride  of 
its  planters'  hearts  because  "old  farmers"  had  none  this  year.  Beside  it  oyster  plant,  green  and  white 
endive  in  varying  shades  of  tender  green;  next  salsify  and  scorzonera  looking  like  rows  of  grass.  Nearer 
to  us  and  next  the  road  a  big  patch  that  should  have  been  spinach,  but  a  few  plants,  however,  proclaimed 
the  intent  of  the  plot.  Little  harm  was  done  by  its  loss,  it  required  but  thirty  minutes  to  plant  it  and 
but  a  few  more  cents  for  seed  and  we  knew  for  another  time  it  was  unwise  to  plant  it  in  April,  the  plot 

33 


was  rendy  to  receive  another  crop  with  but  small  work  of  preparation.  A  tiny  patch  of  corn  planted 
Aj>ri!  ITtli  showed  more  than  ever  the  effects  of  R!a>'s  frost;  an  interesting  experiment  hcwe\cr  that 
should  h.ive  llie  benefit  of  all  the  time  needed  to  prove  itself.  Brussels  spicuts  L{.d  tten  set  Ictwten 
the  hills,  inakiiij;  the  patch,  we  hoped,  a  little  more  productive.  Alas  for  our  hons,  thtsc  plants  came 
from  the  same  nursery  in  Maryland  as  the  lettuce,  and  brought  with  them  blight  and  cabbage  louse, 
an  act  thai  should  no  more  be  tolerated  than  the  shipment  of  orchard  trees  infested  with  San  Jcse  scale. 

We  reitcli  the  dairy  line,  John,  Ted,  and  Mike  are  at  work  upon  acre  1  to  the  right.  The  acre  is 
divided  into  quarters  and  being  prepared  to  receive  alfalfa.  The  field  h::s  already  been  plowed,  dressed 
with  Canada  wood  ashes,  harrowed,  leveled,  rolled,  harrowed,  and  harrowed  again,  raked  and  r.gain 
rolled  in  ord<'r  that  the  soil  might  be  in  the  best  possible  condition.  "We  have  brought  with  us  some 
Litmus  paper,  and  to  test  the  acidity  of  the  soil,  a  handful  is  moistened  at  a  nearby  irrigation  stand-pipe 
and  the  paper  applied.     Anxious  watching  and  it  slowly  turns  blue. 

".MI  right,"  calls  the  farmer,  "sow  that  soil  carefully  John,  in  the  northeast  quarter  and  don't 
let  any  lap  into  the  other  quarters.  \\  hen  you  come  to  harrow  it  in  Mike,  let  Ted  go  with  you  and  lift 
the  harrow  from  quarter  to  quarter  so  no  earth  will  be  dragged." 

The  soil?  That  is  from  an  old  alfalfa  field  up  New  York  State  and  we  are  sowing  it  to  inoculate 
our  soil  with  bacteria.  The  far  or  northwest  corner  is  the  highest  you  notice,  it  is  the  check  quarter, 
that  will  have  no  inoculation  whatever.  The  southerly  are  V .  S.  quarters,  one  will  have  the  seed,  and 
the  other  both  seed  and  soil  inoculated  with  bacterial  culture  from  the  U.  S.  Government  Laboratories; 
this  is  a  test  for  Uncle  Sam. 

The  acre  across  to  the  left  is  divided  in  half;  this  was  the  poor  thing  that  was  not  plowed  until 
this  spring.  Isn't  it  rough  and  arn't  the  rows  crooked?  Teo-smte,  the  Japanese  fodder  that  can  be 
cut  four  times  in  a  season,  won't  care.  See,  it's  breaking  ground.  Yesterday  they  sowed  the  other 
half  of  this  acre  with  Japanese  barnyard  millet. 

And  this?  O  yes,  white  flint  corn,  beyond  sorghum,  and  still  beyond,  Virginia  horse  tooth.  They 
were  planted  the  26th  and  of  course  are  not  up  yet. 

"Why  do  we  plant  in  hills?"  you  ask.  Isn't  that  old  fashioned?"  Perhaps,  but  a  good  fashion, 
for  the  crop  can  be  cultivated  both  ways  by  horse,  saving  that  tremendously  expensive  item — hand 
labor.     But  why  do  you  raise  corn  here,  you  query,  you  thought  that  was  given  up  in  the  East  long  ago. 

We  are  not  raising  corn,  we  arc  raisiag  silage.  Here  at  the  end  of  the  road  in  this  protected  swale 
will  be  the  cow  barns  and  silo,  all  these  crops  will  be  gathered  for  the  silo,  for  modern  dairymen  carry 
all  fooi  to  the  cows  in  balanced  rations.     Come  and  see  us  again  when  these  crops  are  growing. 

Here  you  see  the  rough  unstumped  land  and  there  the  "Daddy-long-legs"  harrow  with  which  the 
attempt  at  culture  used  to  be  made.  We  have  tried  it,  the  work  is  tremendous,  the  strain  and  liability 
to  injury  to  horse  astounding,  while  the  results  amount  to  naught.  W^e  are  putting  in  Canada  field 
peas  and  cow  pe.as,  but  the  chances  of  germination  are  small,  because  it  is  impossible  to  cover  the  seed. 

Let  me  take  you  b.ack  through  the  south  of  the  farm.  Here  is  the  black  Alexican  corn,  the  sweetest 
and  weirdest  of  all  the  sugar  corns.  It  is  already  breaking  ground.  Next  are  mangel  wurzels  and  sugar 
beets;  some  of  the  seed  was  soaked  over  night  to  see  if  it  would  hasten  germination.  Next  is  where 
the  sweet  potatoes  will  go.  Do  we  think  they  will  do  well  here?  Yes,  but  not  as  well  as  in  the 
lighter  soil  on  Experiment  Station  No.  2,  at  Medford.  It  is  an  experiment  worth  trying  however, 
for  they  have  been  grown  successfully  on  the  North  Shore.     We  plan  to  put  in  nearly  an  acre. 

Why  IS  this  pirt  of  the  land  so  very  rough,  you  ask.  O,  this  is  the  acre  that  had  797  stumps  upon 
it,  all  over  18  inches  in  diameter.  Imagine  the  forest  that  one  day  must  have  covered  it.  These 
acres,  8  and  9,  are  left  for  late  "flowers,"  cabbage  and  sprouts;  but  acre  No.  7,  down  yonder,  is  thriving. 
These  are  a  second  planting  of  green  pod  and  wax  beans,  next  squash  and  pumpkin  with  cucumber 
alongside.  I  know  they  are  supposed  to  mix,  but  they  never  have  in  our  home  garden  and  I  see  no  reason 
why  they  should  here. 

This  is  a  third  planting  of  corn,  there  are  5  varieties  here  and  all  up  strong  you  see.  Yes,  limas 
next,  both  bush  and  pole.  Beyond  you  see  a  space  without  poles,  here  we  intend  placing  a  section  of 
fence,  for  we  have  a  theory  that  the  beans  will  ripen  more  evenly,  while  by  cutting  the  runners  back 
we  will  throw  the  .strength  into  the  beans.     Another  experiment  you  see. 

Stop  here  a  moment  and  look  over  the  farm,  then  look  beyond  to  the  west  and  see  what  it  was 
just  nine  short  months  ago.  Has  the  experiment  paid,  is  it  already  proven  that  the  land  is  produc- 
tive, though  the  harvest  is  not  yet? 

Come  through  the  orchard  and  you  will  see  the  tomatoes  in  bloom.  Look,  here  is  one  already 
formed.     0,  there's  no  doubt  but  that  potted  plants  pay. 

Here  are  the  strawberries.  It's  no  wonder  you  are  surprised;  yes,  they  are  actually  in  bloom. 
Did  you  ask  when  they  were  planted?  Last  November.  There  is  the  Tdo,  as  happy  in  America  as 
in  Japan,  and  there  in  the  seed-bed  are  the  Pe-tsai,  Chinese  carrots,  and  Sakurajima  radishes. 

Have  I  given  you,  my  readers,  a  glimpse  of  the  farm  this  first  day  of  June? 

The  next  day  the  melons  were  planted,  a  furrow  run,  a  big  forkful  of  manure  placed  in  each  hill, 
some  earth  drawn  over  and  the  seed  sown.  These  are  greedy  fellows  and  we  felt  success  would  be 
lacking  for  them  in  unaided  new  ground.  There  wore  four  varieties  of  cantaloupes  and  two  of  water 
melons. 

Such  busy  days  as  the  diary  now  reveals;  potatoes  and  beans  to  be  sprayed  with  bord(!aux,  lettuce 
to  be  cultivited,  radishes  to  be  washed,  bunched,  and  shipped  to  market,  lima  beans  *o  be  replanted 
where  the  germinxtion  was  poor,  peas  hand-cultivated  and  acre  7  horse-cultivated,  a  thousand  and 
one  things  the  diary  does  not  reveal,  including  photographs  by  the  score.     Thus  passes  a  single  day. 

The  evenings  busy  with  books  and  chemicals,  to  bed  late  and  to  rise  early,  but  living  in  the  free 
and  open,  close  to  mother  e.arth  and  her  unp.aralleled  wonders. 

,'  The  birds  were  corning— swallows,  thrushes,  bluebirds,  they  were  looking  for  water  and  well  we 
knew  if  they  found  it  they  would  build,  becoming  neighbors  and  benefactors  in  their  destruction  of 
insect  life. 


Preparing  Vegetable  Food  for  City  Dwellers 


Over  in  the  dairy  among  the  pines,  the  Senior  Partner  found,  last  fall,  a  stump  long  and  slender 
and  hollowed  into  a  basin.     At  the  time  he  thought  of  a  bird  bath.     Xow  was  the  time  to  fix  it. 

"Mike,  hitch  up  Texas  and  go  into  the  dairy  and  bring  in  that  stump;  we'U  pipe  it  to-night  and 
have  a  fountain  in  the  front  lawn." 

"Can't  we  go  too?"  came  the  piping  voices  of  wee  ones. 

"Of  course  you  may,  and  I'll  go  witji  you  for  Mike  doesn't  Icnow  where  it  is,"  I  replied. 

All  that  evening  by  lantern  light  the  plumbers  worked,  Mike  supplanting  the  'longshoreman, 
and  a  wonderful  change  for  the  better  it  proved  to  be,  for  Mike  had  been  trained  as  a  pipe  fitter.  Id 
fact,  he  seems  a  jack  of  all  trades:  cobbler,  carpenter,  plumber,  farmer:  that  necessary  adjunct  to  a 
complete  home — a  "handy  man."  The  stump  was  set  by  the  flagstaff  where  on  Decoration  Day  the 
flag  had  been  raised  on  its  new  pole  to  half  m.ast.  (The  American  flag  has  always  waved  at  Peace 
and  Plenty).  A  very  convenient  hole  in  one  of  the  tap  roots  admitted  of  a  pipe  being  run  through, 
while  a  gas-jet  as  a  tip  threw  a  fine  spray  like  a  fan  shaped  flame.  The  stump  was  inclined  slightly 
forward,  a  kerosene  barrel,  Avith  the  bottom  knocked  out,  sunk  at  the  end  of  the  stump;  this  filled  with 
large  stone  received  the  drip  from  the  fountain.  From  our  next  trip  to  the  beach  we  returned  ladened 
with  bright  pebbles  \\hich  the  children  dropped  in  the  fountain  bowl  to  sparkle  in  the  water.  In  a 
few  days  our  efforts  were  rewarded  (if  the  beauty  of  it  and  the  trickling  sound  of  water  was  not  reward 
enough)  for  bluebirds  came  for  a  bath,  then  the  thrushes,  and  later  indigo-buntings  and  yellow  warblers, 
while  sparrows  of  many  varieties  proceeded  at  once  to  build  in  the  trees  about  the  homestead. 

On  the  4th  the  State  Agricultural  Inspector  arrived,  his  surprise  at  the  farm's  appearance  warmed 
our  hearts  and  inspired  us  with  new  courage  and  greater  determination.  We  needed  the  courage  for 
that  same  day  we  discovered  root  maggot  in  Pe-tsai  and  Sakurajima  radish.  We  had  wondered  why 
the  latter  went  to  blossom  w  hile  so  small,  for  at  home  they  grew  enormous  before  sending  up  the  blossom 
stalk.     Root  maggot  galore  in  every  last  one  of  them! 

"All  right,  sir,  we'll  fix  you,"  we  said. 

"Ted,  take  out  all  those  Sakurajima  (there  was  one  long  row),  fork  over  the  ground  well  and  make 
a  drill  in  exactly  the  same  place.  Everlastingly  pour  in  Canada  wood  ashes  in  the  bottom  of  the  drill 
and  we'll  plant  Sakurajima  right  over  again  in  that  same  spot,"  said  the  Railroad  Farmer. 

"It  will  be  a  tough  maggot  that  can  live  in  those  ashes,  sir,"  said  Ted.  "Guoy!  but  they  do  go 
for  my  'ands." 

No  maggots  could  stand  them  and  our  Sakurajima  filled  the  heart  of  even  a  Jap  with  delight 
for  he  carried  one  home  from  the  Fair  weighing  ten  pounds. 

With  the  exodus  of  the  'longshoreman's  family,  came  "Shep,"  a  cook  loaned  us  to  tide  over  until 
new  help  could  be  procured.  We  were  somewhat  of  a  family;  we  4  and  the  stenographer,  Ted,  Mike, 
Nettie,  and  Walter,  my  faithful  maid's  brother  of  14,  whom  we  took  from  a  home,  knowing  well  the 
value  of  a  boy  this  age  to  "fetch  and  carry." 

In  a  few  days  Roger  and  Sophia,  a  colored  couple  of  some  fifty-five  summers,  appeared.  Aunt 
Sophie  was  a  sweet-faced,  gray-haired  little  bit  of  a  woman,  while  Uncle  Roger  was  large,  rheumatic 
and  jolly.  She  was  a  true  Southern  cook  and  gave  us  loads  upon  loads  of  hot  bread  and  fried  things 
in  general.  Uncle  had  always  been  a  porter  and  didn't  know  a  hoe  from  a  shovel.  The  agricultural 
instinct  is  in  the  race,  however,  and  he  soon  learned  to  hill  up  corn  and  hoe  potatoes  in  due  and  ancient 
form.  In  spite  of  all  the  modern  farm  machinery  there  is  a  certain  amount  of  hand  labor  necessary, 
especially  in  new  ground. 

Peanuts  went  in  early  in  May,  the  little  Spanish  and  the  huge  Mammoth. 

Walter  soon  learned  to  gather  radishes,  assist  in  transplanting  and  made  himself  generally  useful. 
From  the  seed-bed  were  transplanted  180  kohl  rabi,  some  of  the  North  China  products,  and  Emerald 
Isle  kale. 

Radishes  were  so  abundant  it  kept  one  of  us  busy  all  day,  washing  and  packing  them.  Many 
were  sent  direct  to  one  of  the  big  restaurants,  being  packed,  unbunched,  in  crates  lined  with  paraffin 
paper.  1,400  radishes  to  a  crate  was  the  average  and  each  radish  perfect  of  its  type.  One  of  our  first 
resolves  and  firm  compacts  was  that  nothing  but  the  very  best  that  we  could  produce  should  leave 
the  farm.  Therefore  frcm  radishes,  right  through  the  season,  every  variety  was  sorted,  washed  or 
polished,  according  to  its  needs. 

On  the  7th  of  June  the  shipment  reads:  55  bunches  for  a  Huntington  grocer;  1,400  loose  in  a  crate 
to  a  New  York  restaurant,  and  21  bunches  each  in  a  paper  pot  to  the  "History  Makers"  and  experts 
who  visited  the  farm  the  day  the  first  stump  was  blown  up. 

Ted  and  Walter  were  set  "bushing"  peas.  We  wished  to  test  the  time  given  to  bushing  and  that 
to  placing  a  portable  wire  fence  (a  strip  of  wire  fastened  to  sharpened  stakes).  Brushing  2  rows  each 
100  hundred  feet  long  required  IJ^  hours,  placing  fence  to  the  same  length  rows  required  8  minutes. 
The  wire  was  neat,  satisfactory,  and  easy  to  pick  from.  The  bush  was  straggly,  untidy,  and  almost 
impossible  to  pick  from,  especially  if  the  picker  wore  long  hair  and  skirts. 

Potato  bugs  were  pestering  the  life  out  of  us  by  this  time.  Walter  picked  by  hand  each  morning 
and  strange  to  say  they  were  worse  on  the  tomatoes  than  on  the  potatoes.  John  dusted  a  mixture 
of  bordeaux  paris  green  and  land  plaster  dry  upon  the  potatoes  and  blew  slug  shot  upon  the  tomatoes; 
yet  the  beetle  went  merrily  on  its  way  rejoicing. 

Some  exquisite  eggplants  from  the  Huntington  grower  were  set  in  the  east  end  of  the  orchard 
among  the  tomato  rows  where  imported  tomatoes  had  given  up  the  ghost.  In  24  hours  they  were 
so^black  with  flea  beetle  you  could  not  detect  the  color  of  the  leaves.  Hellebore  blown  on  thick  seemed 
to^drive  them  away. 

We  have  a  standing  joke  in  our  little  home  town.  The  assistant  postmaster  is  an  enthusiastic 
gardener,  and  above  all  else  he  loves  an  eggplant.  For  years  he  has  tried  to  raise  them  and  never  has 
succeeded  in  even  getting  one  to  set. 

"Hello,  neighbor,"  he  called  through  the  post-office  window,  "I  hear  you're  goin'  farmin'  out 
in  the  scrub  oaks. "J 

36 


"Yep,  and  we'll  raise  anything  that  grows  on  the  temperate  zone,"  was  the  confident  rejoinder. 

"Bet  you  don't,"  he  replied.     "Bet  you  can't  raise  an  eggplant." 

"Taken,"  cried  the  enthusiastic  one.  "I'll  send  you  the  finest  eggplant  you  ever  ate  before  sum- 
mer's over." 

And  so  flea  beetle  on  those  precious  plants  would  never  do. 

Of  course,  the  mounds  about  the  orchard  trees  had  been  leveled  in  the  early  spring,  now  was  the 
time  to  give  them  a  mulch  of  old  straw  from  the  stable,  this  one  not  to  keep  them  warm,  but  to  conserve 
the  moislure  about  the  roots. 

Radish  seed  was  planted  in  every  melon  hill,  scraping  the  earth  slightly  with  the  foot,  dropping 
a  few  seed,  pushing  the  soil  back  and  treading  upon  it.  That  sounds  like  a  shifiless  way  to  plant, 
does  it  not?  but  this  was  only  a  guardian  crop;  they  break  the  ground,  germinating  in  a  few  days,  also 
the  flea  beetle  bvis  radish  leaves  much  better  than  melon  leaves,  and  feasts  upon  the  latter  only  when 
the  former  are  not  to  be  found. 

The  spinach  patches  being  virtually  a  failure,  Walter  was  sent  over  them  to  pick  some  for  home 
use,  then  Ted  sowed  Canada  wood  ashes  preparatory  to  cultivating  for  a  new  crop  of  a  difTerenl  type. 

The  ashes  remind  me  of  an  incident  of  the  early  summer.  The  high-chief-boss  farmer  had  just 
gone  over  to  Thanksgiving  Cottage  to  dinner,  when  Mike  appeared  saying: 

"They  a  man  over  there  want  see  you,  Mr.  Fuller'." 

"Well,  tell  him  to  make  himself  at  home  and  I'll  be  there  in  a  minute." 

Mike  returned  very  promptly,  saying:    "He  say  he  can't  wait,  very  important." 

"Tfcll  him  to  come  over  here  then,  I'm  going  to  finish  this  meal  as  quick  as  I  can  and  get  back 
to  work." 

The  gentleman  appeared  making  profuse  apologies  and  saying  he  was  from  the  State  Department 
sent  to  analyze  our  fertilizers. 

"You've  an  easy  job  neighbor,"  said  the  Senior  Partner,  "better  sit  down  and  join  me  in  my  frugal 
meal.     We  haven't  any  fertilizer  but  good  old  stable  manure." 

"That's  a  pretty  story  all  right,  Mr.  FuUerton,  but  everyone  knows  you  couldn't  make  a  place 
look  like  this  without  chemical  fertilizer,"  he  replied. 

"It's  a  fact  nevertheless.  Why,  man  alive,  this  virgin  soil,  what  does  it  want  with  chemical  ferti- 
lizers? I  wouldn't  have  used  manure  if  it  had  not  been  burned  over  so  many  years.  AH  this  land 
needs  is  humus." 

By  this  time  they  had  gone  out  upon  the  farm  and  were  joined  by  another  gentlemen,  a  companion 
to  the  first. 

The  spokesman  said: 

"Mr.  FuUerton  claims  he  has  used  no  commercial  fertiUzer,  Jim." 

Whereupon  "Jim"  asked: 

"What  are  all  those  bags  in  the  barn  then,  Mr.  FuUerton?"  And  it  was  said  with  a  tone  of  voice 
that  implied  that  the  Railroad  Farmer  was  caught  "dead  to  rights"  this  time. 

"Canada  wood  ashes,  help  yourselves.     Take  a  whole  bag  with  you  and  analyze  it  if  you  desire." 

They  went  to  the  barn  and  were  soon  thoroughly  convinced  it  was  wood  ashes  pure  and  simple. 

"Mike  bring  me  that  bag  of  nitrate  of  soda." 

"This,  gentlemen,  is  the  only  thing  in  the  nature  of  a  chemical  fertilizer  that  I  shall  use  this  year 
and  I  got  this  only  as  a  hastener  for  lettuce,  celery,  and  endive.  This  is  one  of  the  farm's  best  assets." 
And  he  showed  them  out  behind  the  barn  a  tarred  kerosene  barrel  sunk  beside  the  stalls;  raising  the 
lid  disclosed  all  the  liquid  stable  waste. 

"Ihis  is  as  good  as  nitrate  and  costs  nothing,"  he  further  explained. 

The  (.\perls  went  away  after  more  carefully  inspecting  the  crops,  fully  convinced  that  our  point 
was  well  taken  and  saying: 

"Well,  these  fellow s  down  in  the  village  will  be  mightily  disappointed  when  they  see  us,  for  they 
were  sure  you  had  some  special  brand  of  fertilizer  and  we  told  them  we  could  find  out  all  about  it.  But 
we've  nothing  to  say.     Arn't  you  ever  going  to  use  fertilizer,  Mr.  FuUerton?" 

"Bless  your  souls,  yes.  Didn't  I  use  fertilizer  when  I  plowed  that  rye  under?  Next  fall  I  am 
going  to  put  on  about  ten  tons  to  the  acre  of  manure  again,  and  I  am  going  to  turn  under  crimson  clover, 
vetch,  and  rye  on  every  square  foot  I  can  get  planted.  Then  I  shall  use  lime  for  a  sweetener,  for  we 
now  can  afford  the  hme  a  little  time  to  work.  Next  summer  when  1  am  putting  in  a  second  and  third 
crop  on  the  same*  ground  I  shall  probably  use  blood  and  bone  or  bone  meal.  Don't  mi.'^understand 
me,  I  think  chemical  fertihzers  are  bully  for  old  worn  out  land,  but  it  would  be  like  'carrying  coals  to 
Newcastle'  to  put  it  on  this  virgin  soil.  The  craze  for  chemical  fertilizers  has  gone  too  far.  1  here  are 
places  where  they  have  put  it  on  so  heavy  (with  the  theory  that  if  one  ton  is  good  two  tons  will  be  better) 
that  they  have  chemical  laboratories,  not  farms.  All  chemical  fertilizers  is  'lazy  man's  way,'  he  claims 
he  will  not  have  weeds,  so  will  save  cultivation.  Weeds  are  the  farmer's  best  friends,  they  force  him 
to  cultivate,  and  lack  of  cultivation  is  the  crime  of  modern  farming.  If  they'll  pile  some  old  manure 
on  that  ground  now  and  so  liberate  through  decomposition  the  various  component  parts  of  the  chemical 
fertilizers,  thcv  will  have  farms  again." 

"We're  glad  to  hear  you  speak  that  way,  Mr.  FuUerton,  for  the  fertilizer  men  all  thought  you 
were  down  on  them  and  felt  pretty  sore  about  it." 

"Give  them  my  love  and  tell  them  the^v  are  the  best  thing  that  ever  happened,  only  they  are  work- 
ing the  game  the  wTong  way.  They  think  by  selling  a  man  two  tons  where  he  needs  one  they  are  doing 
great  work.  Let  them  study  the  subject  and  give  the  farmer  real  help,  even  if  they  only  sell  him  half 
a  ton,  they'll  be  much  better  off  in  the  end  and  the  farmers  will  swear  by  them,  instead  of  at  them  as 
their  crops  run  lower  and  lower." 

"You're  right,  Mr.  FuUerton,  we're  glad  we  came,"  as  they  swung  on  the  train. 

By  the  eleventh  of  June  the  radishes  were  so  well  gathered,  sweet  corn  was  planted  in  every  third 
row  (radishes  had  been  planted  18  inches  apart),  while  Ted  with   the   Planet  Jr.  cultivated  all  of  acre 

3S 


Real   Sweet   Potatoes   and   Plenty  of   Them 


Sweet  Potato  Vines  in  Early  Summer 


No.  3  in  the  afternoon.  These  little  hand  implements  are  wonderful  time  savers,  two  sides  of  a  row  are 
cultivated  in  the  time  it  takes  to  walk  down  a  row;  in  the  new  ground  it  took  longer,  for  sometimes 
huckleberry  roots  would  check  the  progress,  but  as  time  permitted,  all  the  rows  were  raked  after  culti- 
vating, which  gave  the  land  a  much  cleaner  appearance.  In  fact,  the  rakes  attached  to  the  cultivator 
make  about  the  best  tool  imaginable  for  this  work.  Ted  always  called  it  his  "baby"  and  went  whistling 
down  the  rows,  covering  the  ground  in  truly  remarkable  time.  Even  Uncle  Roger  got  so  he  could 
push  one  after  his  slow  fashion,  while  we  would  see  Aunt  Sophie  steal  from  the  kitchen  and  run  him  a 
race  with  one  across  the  field. 

"You'all  makes  me  tired  goin'  so  slow  wid  dat  ting,  why  don't  you  git  along." 

"Haw!  haw!  haw!  You  tink  I'm  a  spring  chicken,  don'  you  know  I  got  de  rheumatis  powerful 
bad?     Go  wan!" 

The  spinach  patch  on  acre  No.  3  was  ready  for  Mike  and  the  horses.  It  did  not  need  plowing, 
so  he  went  over  it  with  the  horse  cultivator  5  times,  with  the  leveler  3  times,  then  raked  it,  dragging 
the  fine  roots  to  the  road  and  finally  gave  it  a  good  rolling,  leaving  the  plot  in  perfect  condition.  This 
latter  operation  is  one  that  is  seldom  attempted  in  farm  work.  After  cultivating,  the  soil  is  left  in  so 
porous  a  condition  the  roots  do  not  get  a  firm  hold  until  rains  have  flattened  it  well.  Ted  and  John 
came  right  along  with  the  seed  drill  and  in  2  hours  had  the  entire  patch  planted  with  onions,  carrots, 
peas,  beans,  and  sugar  beets,  76  rows,  each  127  feet  long.  The  rows  were  as  straight  as  a  die,  the  drill 
did  not  check  once,  in  fact,  no  100-year-old  farm  could  produce  a  plot  in  better  seed-bed  condition,  and 
this  was  not  yet  a  yearling. 

This  planting  of  peas  and  beans  was  the  third  one  of  each.  The  first  planting  of  peas  you  will 
remember  we  saw  on  our  walk  to  the  dairy.  They  matured  very  early,  were  extremely  dwarf,  and  the 
vines  yellowed  badly.  It  puzzled  us  much  to  know  the  cause.  We  irrigated  (which  no  doubt  saved 
their  lives  during  the  drought  of  May)  and  we  wood-ashed  them.  The  second  planting  on  acre  No.  7 
were  taller  but  started  to  yellow  also. 

"Well,  it  beats  me,"  said  the  Farmer,  "what  do  you  suppose  makes  it?  There  is  a  patch  in  the 
middle  perfectly  normal,  tall,  green,  and  luxuriant." 

"That's  where  a  bonfire  was  last  fall,"  I  rejoined.     "Don't  you  think  they  need  more  ashes?" 

"We've  put  more  ashes  on  them.     Don't  you  remember  I  had  John  sow  them  last  week?" 

"Yes,  but  maybe  they  need  it  underneath;  let's  plant  more  down  on  the  spinach  patch  and  give 
them  a  good  dose  of  it." 

"All  right,  I'll  go  you,"  was  the  rejoinder. 

This  crop  was  entirely  satisfactory,  the  soil  had  been  heavily  sown  with  ashes,  and  when  the  peas 
were  about  4  inches  high,  more  ashes  were  sown  along  the  rows,  then  the  little  Planet  Jr.  plow  attach- 
ment was  run  through,  hilling  the  vines  up  well.     The  crop  was  abundant  and  of  high  quality. 

Beans  had  been  one  of  our  greatest  disappointments;  we  knew  well  their  susceptibility  to  anthrac- 
nose  (so-called  bean  rust),  and  to  guard  against  it  had  sprayed  them  with  bordeaux.  The  vines  were 
superb,  laden  with  pods  and  almost  ready  to  gather;  in  a  night  they  were  gone  with  the  dread  disease. 
Those  next  to  the  house,  by  the  tower,  were  the  first  to  go.  A  second  application  of  bordeaux  on  the 
second  planting,  acre  No.  7,  was  promptly  made,  but  it  did  not  save  the  crop.  Therefore  beans  went 
in  beside  the  peas  with  a  firm  resolve  to  spray  them  the  minute  they  appeared  above  ground.  In  six 
days  they  appeared. 

"John,  those  beans  are  up  and  you  want  to  get  bordeaux  on  them  at  once." 

"All  right,  sir,  shall  I  use  it  dry?" 

"Not  on  your  life!  Use  it  wet  and  soak  'em  for  fair.  I'm  going  to  have  some  good  beans  ofT 
this  place  if  it  takes  a  leg." 

In  G  more  days  they  were  wood-ashed  and  hilled-up  like  the  peas;  in  another  2  weeks  they  were 
bordeauxed  again.  The  yield  was  perfect;  beans  in  abundance,  and  while  the  other  plantings  had 
received  as  many  applications  of  bordeaux  we  feel  they  need  it  when  very  small,  as  this  disease  must 
be  prevented;  it  cannot  be  cured.  This  patch  127  feet  long  and  29  feet  wide,  yielded  12J^  bushels  of 
stringless  and  wax  beans. 

Potato  bugs  and  flea  beetle  were  still  making  lace  of  potatoes  and  tomatoes,  while  the  cabbage 
worm  was  keeping  us  very  busy  as  well. 

By  the  14th  of  June  we  women  folk  were  picking  peas  for  shipment,  while  Mike  was  preparing 
acre  No.  7  for  sweet  potatoes.  It  required  much  cultivating  and  leveling  to  get  it  into  anything  hke 
shipshape  condition.     Ted  was  cultivating  lettuce  and  weeding  the  strawberries. 

"Mother,  what  shall  we  do?"  came  small  voices. 

"Help  us  pick  peas,  won't  you?"  I  answered. 

"0,  yes,  I'll  help,"  said  Hope  and  she  promptly  sat  down  in  the  patch  and  proceeded  to  eat  all 
she  could  reach.     "That's  great  helping,"  I  said,  "the  guests  at  the  French  restaurant  will  enjoy  those." 

"0  well,  never  mind,  mother,  he  can  have  the  'fatty,  fatty,  boom-a-latties'  and  I  will  eat  the  'petit 
pois.'     They  are  sweetest,"  said  the  connoisseur,  just  turned  seven. 

"Look,  mammy,  ain't  I  a  helper?"  piped  the  four-year  old.  An  apron  full  of  big  ones  disclosed 
her  efforts,  but  then  she  does  not  care  for  peas  either  raw  or  cooked. 

That  night  the  plants  arrived.  Sweet  potatoes,  cauliflower,  Brussels  sprouts,  tomatoes,  celery, 
and  lettuce  from  Maryland.  They  were  taken  from  the  basket  carriers,  spread  upon  the  cellar  earth 
floor,  and  thoroughly  sprinkled. 

The  next  day  was  very  hot  and  the  ground  exceptionally  dry.  Mike  took  Texas  out  and  plowed 
up  ridges  for  the  sweet  potatoes.  They  are  always  planted  in  this  way,  for  they  love  dry  soil  and  must 
never  have  water  stand  in  the  roots;  besides  when  so  planted  the  vines  are  more  easily  raised  to  check 
rooting  at  each  vine  joint.  Uncle  followed  raking  off  roots  while  John  and  Ted  planted,  Walter  help- 
ing. A  dibble  hole  was  made,  Walter  filled  it  with  water  and  dropped  a  plant;  Mike  came  after,  setting 
them.     A  long  hose  attached  to  a  standard  at  the  center  road  and  run  across  the  fields  gave  them  water 


The  Long  Island  "Home  Hamper" 
A  "Farm  to  Family  Fresh"  Creation  at  No.   1 


right  at  hand — score  No.  2  for  the  irrigation  system — while  the  same  trick  later  gave  them  water  handy 
for  mixing  fungicides  and  insecticides  to  be  applied  in  the  far  fields. 

A  bucket  of  water  to  which  had  been  added  a  cupful  of  oatmeal  and  a  sliced  lemon,  to  remove 
the  flat  taste,  was  kept  there  for  drinking  purposes.  Frequent  drinks  on  hot  days  are  necessary,  but 
the  stomach  must  be  kept  active  lest  the  blood  rush  to  the  hvvA.  1  he  oatmeal  water  keeps  the  stomach 
in  just  the  proper  condition.  It  does  not  look  pretty  to  drink,  p.nd  some  of  them  at  first  refused  it.  I 
noticed,  however,  every  hot  day  thereafter  came  the  request  for  oat-meal  water. 

On  that  same  d.ay  the  diary  says: 

"Grasshopp(!rs  appeared  to  sit  upon  the  sweet  p'tater  vine.     Turkeys  now  the  only  thing  lacking." 

That  day  ;.bout  o.oDO  sweet  potato  plants  went  out.  1  he  next  day  dawncid  with  warm  heavy 
showers;  the  men  worked  f,s  best  they  could  between  them  finishing  the  sweets,  while  Mike  cultivated 
fodder  corn.  In  the  afternoon  John  and  Ted  set  out  1,>00  celeriac  on  acre  No.  1  by  the  house  and  in 
seed-bed  swale,  and  about  400  tomatoes  in  the  orchard,  again  filling  up  gaps.  1  he  plants  were  all 
fair  looking  specimi^ns,  but  none  equal  to  home-grown.  Still  wc  had  no  choice;  plants  we  had  to  have 
and  we  could  not  grow  them  ourselves,  therefore,  after  much  study,  we  ordered  from  a  firm  considered 
the  largest  and  best  in  the  country.  Alas  for  the  day  these  plants  touched  the  place  as  future  history 
will  show . 

The  Brussels  sprouts  were  the  saddest  looking  of  all  the  plants;  the  leaves  were  yellowing  in  spite 
of  frequent  waterings,  and  this  was  Saturday. 

Mike  came  to  Mr.  Fuilerton  and  said  in  a  whisper: 

"I  get  up  early  to  morrow  and  plant  those  sprouts.  I  no  believe  in  work  Sunday,  but  can't  be 
kelp,  those  sprouts  must  be  plant  or  they  die." 

".\[\  right,  ^like.  I  am  gir.d  you  spoke,  for  Mrs.  Fuilerton  and  I  were  going  to  do  it  ourselves 
anyhow.     You're  right,  they'll  die  if  they  don't  go  in  to-morrow." 

This  is  one  of  the  worst  features  of  buying  plants,  they  come  all  in  a  lump  regardless  of  order, 
regardless  of  whether  you  are  ready  for  them,  regardh^ss  of  weather  conditions  or  the  time  of  week. 
Having  your  own  plants  in  your  own  seed-bed  they  can  be  transplanted  when  conditions  are  favorable. 

\\e  madu  a  little  for  ourselves  this  year: 

"Kaise  your  own  plants  even  if  you  cover  only  half  your  acreage,  it  will  pay." 

The  sprouts  went  in  on  a  Sunday  morning  and  the  day  should  have  cleansed  them  of  all  their  sins. 
Alas,  it  took  but  a  few  weeks  to  show  us  they  might  better  have  lain  and  died  upon  the  cellar  floor. 
Black  rot  and  cabbage  louse  were  rampant  upon  them      And  the  celeriac?     Covered  with  blight. 

The  next  week  one  of  our  neighbors  dropped  in  to  see  us  and  he  sr.id: 

"Three  years  ago  1  did  not  have  lime  to  sow  any  celery  seed,  s<>  I  ordered  son^e  pi;  nts  from  a  Mary- 
land firm.  They  were  pretty  poor  specimens  of  celery  all  right  and  soon  developed  celery  blight  and 
do  you  know  it  is  in  my  ground  so  now  I  can't  raise  celery  without  an  awful  fight." 

"Oh  neighbor,  neighbor,  if  we  had  only  knownl  Curs  came  from  the  same  place  and  we  not  only 
have  celpry  blight  but  cabbage  louse  and  black  rot ,  and  it  is  spreading  over  the  whole  farm  at  a  most 
appalling  rati;." 

"It's  a  crimel"  I  eNclaimed.  "Why  does  the  Government  allow  it,  when  no  nursery  is  allowed 
to  send  out  stock  unless  it  i.*  inspected.     This  is  worse  than  San  .lose  scale.     It  means  bankruptcy." 

"\A  hy,  I've  her.rd  since  that  these  big  growers"  places  h.ave  been  infected  for  years  and  they  can't 
grow  a  thing  to  maturity.  But  what  do  they  care,  the  seedlings  don't  show  it  and  its'  too  much  trouble 
to  spray,"  st.id  our  neighbor. 

"It's  a  burning  shame."  I  .said.     "A  brand  new  place  like  this  covered  with  blight  the  first  yearl" 

"Well,  if  spraying  and  hand  picking  will  check  it,"  said  the  .Senior  Partner,  "it  won't  get  into  the 
8oiI.  And  if  hard  and  p(;rsistent  work  will  prevent  it,  1  am  sure  our  beloved  "Peace  and  Plenty'  will  be 
exempt  from  further  trouble." 

June  twenty-sixth  saw  77  heads  of  lettuce  off  for  New  York,  crisp,  firm,  fresh,  and  delicious,  packed 
in  paraffin  paper  ready  to  be  eaten  the  same  day.  That's  what  .N'ew  York  needs,  fresh  vegetables 
that  have  not  been  on  the  road  a  week. 

Our  own  cauliflower  r.nd  cabbage  seedlings  in  the  seed-b<>d  were  well  along  by  this  time.  They 
were  phuited  June  4th  and  were  making  sturdy  growth  for  a  l.".te  crop.  Cabbage  worms  were  after 
them,  howi;ver.  so  p.-'.ris  gre<'n  and  bordeaux  were  kept  upon  thetn.  Frequent  cultivatings  with  the 
Planet  Jr  (Ted  loved  to  run  through  them  just  before  he  put  the  implement  away)  kept  them  growing 
steadily  r.nd  helped  develop  a  fine  root  system. 

Some  pi{.s  had  been  ordered  in  the  early  summer,  but  failc^d  to  arrive.  AVe  knew  their  value  as 
consumers  of  n^fuse  and  providers  of  fertilizers,  bt>sid(!S  making  a  good  winter  provision.  One  (a  Chester 
white)  out  of  the  4  f.nally  j'.rrived  on  the  L3d  .-.nd  was  promptly  n.-.med  "Eventually  "  A  wetik  later 
a  black  Berkshire  came  and  being  promised  to  the  wise  one  shv  named  h<!r  "X'iolet."  These  stsemed  all 
the  dealer  could  procure  for  us,  .-"o  our  good  friend  of  the  apple  orch ml  sent  2  Poland  Chin;is.  Hope 
named  hers  "l^oscbud,"  while  mine  .".ssumcd  the  nartie  of  "Ce(Ml(>c"  in  honor  of  our  good  friend. 

Early  p(!;',s  were  ti'.ken  out  on  the  LIth,  and  Mike  prepared  the  p:'.tch  in  the  same  manner  as  he 
pursued  with  the  spinach  patch.     The  pea  vim^s.  by  the  way,  were  put  into  the  compost  heap,  for  this 
is  one  of  the  pl;,nts  wi'l!  worth  saving,  giving  back  its  accumul.-.ted  nitrogen  as  it  decomposes.     Had  ' 
conditions  p(>rn,itted  the  vines  would  h'.ve  b<!en  plowed  under,  but  th"  ground  w.-.s  too  rough  for  that. 

Celery  wis  planted  on  a  portion  of  th'>  space,  while  endive  and  turnips  occupied  the  balance.  Endive 
was  pl;i.nt(Hi  i.g.-.in.  because  the  first  sowing,  lacking  sufficient  cultiv;',tion,  h'.d  run  up  to  seed.  Three 
men  and  a  rh<umatic  on  13  j-.cres.  \A"e  should  h;!,ve  had  a  m.'.n  to  thi>  ;u;re  to  h  in  lie  th';  crops  properly. 
A  pretty  expensive  proposition  you  will  s.'.y:  not  for  a  ni'.rket  g^rJ.uvjr  wh  )  r.iisjs  .'5  a'li  4  crops  a  year 
on  every  inch  of  gn  unci.  .Ask  any  good  one  and  see.  You  w'll  s'.v.  "Well,  wh/  di  la't  you  have  them 
if  you  needed  them.'"  For  two  reasons,  w"  hvi  no  shelter  an  I  wo  wer-  p-o/ii;  wh  it  a  m  m  could  do 
with  a  small  amount  of  h(!lp,  and,  just  as  the  other  mj,n  would  fin.i,  some  thin.;s  would  be  left  undone. 

42 


Lettuce  and  teans  or  peas  were  being  shipped  daily  now.  Imperfect  heads,  or  those  not  quite 
hard  enough  for  market  were  sent  to  hospitals,  Y.  M.  C.  A.'s  and  the  Sunshine  Society. 

le<\  found  time  in  the  evenings  to  work  on  the  shower  bath  we  had  long  intended  for  the  men. 
A  space  beside  the  engine  was  partitioned  olT,  cement  floor  laid  on  a  slant,  pipe  connections  made  and 
a  spray  att:-rhed.  1  his  was  thoroughly  enjoyed  by  the  Englishman,  but  Italian  and  American  natures 
seemed  to  "dodge." 

1  he  li:,st  day  of  June  found  us  preparing  to  fill  acre  Xo.  S  with  cabbage  and  cauliflower  from  our 
own  seed-bed.  .luly  1st  fell  on  Sunday,  a  second  one  destined  to  be  a  work  day.  Early  morning  in- 
spection showed  the  cabbage  so  full  of  worms  we  were  afraid  to  leave  them  until  morning,  so  faithful 
Mike,  who  knew  the  danger  as  well  as  we,  "passsed"  them  with  paris  green.  It  took  us  sometime  to 
quite  unLlerst;.nd  this  phr:',se  of  his: 

"i\ir.  luller'  1  think  best  I  pass  cauliflower  to-morrow,  what  you  think — of  course,  you  boss," 
with  a  shrug  of  the  shoulders. 

AV  e  (  iially  gathered  that  he  wished  to  spray  the  cauliflower. 

The  last  time  1  saw  him  I  said: 

".\.ike,  how's  the  cauliflower?" 

"My  gaw!  A.iss  Fuller'  I  pass  them  11  time  and  they  no  good,  I  never  see  such  worms."  And  hie 
eyes  snapped  with  true  Italian  tire. 

'1  his  s.-ime  ^UIlday  night  more  plants  arrived  from  the  South. 

"I  don't  dare  look  at  them,"  I  said.  "Of  all  the  times  of  year  to  travel  these  past  three  hothouse 
days  are  the  wotst      They  must  all  be  dead." 

.\nd  a  sorry  looking  sight  they  were;  celery,  more  sweet  potatoes  and  late  cabbage.  The«e  plants 
had  been  ordered  of  a  Long  Island  nurseryman  who  said  he  could  supply  us.  Irony  of  fate!  They 
were  from  the  s;.ine  Maryland  grower! 

'1  he  follow  ing  day  foreboded  rain,  so  the  entire  farm  turned  out  to  plant.  By  no  means  least 
amonji  the  nutiiber  were  the  wee  ones.  The  proccs.sion  moved  like  this:  i\like  and  Buckeye  making  a 
furrow.  'I  ed  following  drawing  a  ph'-nk  to  smooth  the  top  a  bit.  Uncle  Roger  making  dibble  holes,  .John 
and  \^  alter  sorting  out  the  plants  that  might  possibly  grow,  Hope  with  a  basket  of  plants  upon  her 
arm  drojiping  one  at  each  hole,  Eleanor  placing  the  [ilant  in  the  hole  and  .Mike  coming  after  and  firming 
them,  the  .Junior  Partner  marking  each  row,  while  the  Senior  Partner  with  a  camera  made  the  scene  a 
part  of  history.  It  wj^s  hard  work,  but  many  hands  made  it  light,  while  good  will  and  bantering  fun 
made  the  time  seem  shorter.  As  a  test  of  speed,  Mike.  Walter,  Hope,  and  Nettie  planted  4!)>  drutnhead 
cabbage  in  'S>  ninutes.  The  small  ones  grew  pretty  tired  but  did  not  desert  until  the  last  plant  was  in. 
Rain  cati^e  and  we  were  all  glad  the  good  work  had  been  accomplished. 

Blight  w:us  spreading  fast,  aided  and  abetted  by  continued  damp,  warm  weather.  It  kept  2  men 
busy  "passing"  the  various  crops. 

(.'n  the  '.id.  n:eloris  were  ready  to  be  thinned  and  radishes  pulled  from  the  hills.  They  had  fulfilled 
their  mit-sion  and  strange  to  relate  many  were  still  in  fine  marketable  condition;  from  the  field  we  sorted 
1,L0()  !,s  f  ne  as  het'.rt  could  desire. 

'I  he  4lh  could  not  pa.ss  w  ithout  some  celebration  and  a  case  of  fireworks  made  the  little  ones  long 
for  e\ening.  Bifi  ones  enjoyed  the  day  as  it  passed.  A  diminutive  cannon  gave  the  grown-up  boys 
much  iilei'.sure  and  the  national  salute  of  21  guns  echoed  from  the  surrounding  hills. 

1  arget  practice  has  always  been  our  "fourth"  habit,  for  I  think  a  woman  should  know  how  to  shoot 
as  well  ;.s  n  m;-n.  A  target  was  placed  in  the  swale  to  the  south  of  the  barn:  we  took  our  turns  using 
revohers  N:  ike  and  I  took  honors,  while  for  the  sake  of  my  se.\  I  must  say  I  led,  but  the  shots  showed 
all  of  us  would  have  "winged  our  man."  Shotguns  followed,  firing  at  a  can  thrown  in  the  air;  that 
weapon  is  not  to  my  liking,  so  I  withdrew  before  I  lost  prestige.  Mike  is  a  fine  shot,  while  Ted  followed 
a  close  second.  (;ld  Incie  had  a  glorious  time  but  most  of  his  shots  went  wild.  I  have  no  doubt  the 
contest  «a.*  a  good  thing;  the  melon  patch  w.as  let  .severely  alone.  The  evening's  display  was  a  delight 
to  all  and  although  our  neighbors  had  been  invited,  but  few  appeared. 

Cn  the  Cith,  crops  began  coming  in  in  earnest,  early  cabbage  and  young  carrots  were  added  to  the 
list. 

There  are  days  with  the  best  of  us  when  everything  goes  "dead  wrong"  The  0th  of  .July  was  one 
such  with  the  Railroad  Farmer.  Everything  was  dead  wrong  from  the  time  he  arose;  when  a  young 
chicken  having  escaped  from  the  chicken  yard  got  into  the  seed-bed,  that  was  the  "dead  wrongest." 
A  dive  for  the  chi'kt'n.  a  catch  of  the  foot  in  some  huckleberry  roots,  and  the  Farmer  lay  prone.  The 
knee  had  been  wreiuhed  and  then  began  3  months  of  limping  and  bandaging;  a  sad  and  unfortunate 
mishap  in  the  midst  of  .such  a  strenuous  season.  No  amount  of  persuasion  would  keep  him  quiet  and 
as  the  limp  grew   worse  the  children  dubbed  him: 

"Cld  ^cr.  N;icklejolui  had  a  leg  of  hickory  on." 

Several  di'.ys  h'.ter  Aunt  Sophie,  who  had  been  steadily  growing  lazier,  about  decided  she  had  had 
enough  of  country  life,  so  much  to  T'ncle  Roger's  digust,  we  sent  them  back  to  the  city. 

"M  hy  I's  just  gettin'  my  hand  in,  boss,  and  I  likes  it  powerful;  but  Sophie  she  always  does  this 
yere  w.%y." 

1  hree  weeks  followed,  in  which  but  for  Nettie's  willing  help  I  should  have  been  in  a  bad  way,  for 
no  cook  could  be  procured. 

Cabbage  louse  vv.-is  tormenting  the  life  out  of  us,  spreading  day  by  day,  from  sprouts  to  cabbage, 
from  c.-.bbage  to  cauliflower,  kale,  and  kohl  rabi  until  it  seemed  as  though  nothing  would  stop  them. 
Their  natural  enemy  is  the  ladybug's  child,  they  help  man  keep  the  fuzzy  louse  down.  But  ladybugs 
were  \ery  scarce  this  year. 

Elei.nor  r.nd  I  were  walking  down  the  middle  road  one  afternoon  when  a  ladybug  happened  to  light 
on  her  stocking.     She  looked  down  and  said  in  her  sweet  baby  voice: 

""W  hy,  you  cunning  tiling,  do  you  think  I  have  aphis  on  me?"  Their  love  of  benign  and  animosity 
toward  malign  insects  is  very  strong. 

43 


We  tried  tobacco  tea  for  the  louse  (really  an  aphis  covered  with  a  grayish  hairy  substance),  dry 
powdered  tobacco,  slug  shot,  bordeaux,  paris  green,  and  land  plaster  mixed,  but  nothing  seemed  to 
affect  them.  Won't  some  good  chemist  invent  something  to  kill  them?  We  are  beginning  to  feel  that 
the  soil  should  be  poisoned,  for  nearly  all  these  insects  come  from  the  ground. 

We  had  a  most  delightful  call  about  the  middle  of  July  from  a  United  States  forester.  He  put 
new  heart  into  us  by  confirming  our  use  of  manure  and  wood  ashes  and  siying  we  had  the  finest  garden 
soil  he  had  ever  seen. 

"Mr.  Fullerton,  if  I  should  make  soil  with  everything  I  could  want  to  do  it  with,  I  could  not  equal 
your  natural  composition  here.  Man  could  not  make  such  drainage,  or  loam  in  such  ideal  proportions 
of  clay  and  sand  as  you  have  here.  I  had  no  idea  Long  Island  was  such  a  wonderful  spot.  As  for  its 
trees  I  am  simply  carried  away.  Never  in  all  my  travels  have  I  seen  such  clunaps  of  second  growth 
chestnut.  If  you  had  told  me  there  were  groups  of  7  and  8  all  a  foat  to  foot  and  a  half  through,  I  would 
not  have  believed  you." 

"Our  trees  themselves  are  not  only  wonderful  to  me,  but  the  last  variety  is  astounding.  Years 
ago  the  sea  captains  brought  ho.Tis  trees  ani  shrubs  fron  foreign  pjrts  ani  many  of  the.Ti  are  now 
native  to  the  Island.  I  know  a  forest  of  Japan  maples,  s. vamps  whsre  mignolia  trifolia  grow,  white 
foreign  ei'ergreens  seem  especially  happy  here,"  replied  Mr.  "Alicklejohn." 

Upon  further  examination  of  cabbage  and  caulifliwer  affe3teJ  by  blight,  we  found  in  9  cases  out  of 
10  root  maggot  had  been  at  work.  This  pest  is  a  difficult  one  to  fight,  but  bisulphide  of  carbon  injected 
by  the  root  will  kill  them,  while  sulphur  or  wood  ashes  in  the  drill  will  keap  them  out.  I  must  confess 
we  felt  better,  I  would  much  rather  fight  an  insect  than  a  disaise  any  day. 

Lettuce  was  ready  to  come  out,  it  had  been  an  interesting  crop,  full  of  failures.  The  majority  of 
transplanted  plants  went  up  to  seed.  In  drills  they  headed  beautifully,  teaching  us  the  lesson  that  they 
must  be  thinned  severely  and  kept  cultivated  while  young,  that  without  irrigation  during  dry  weather 
it  is  useless  to  try  to  grow  it. 

"But,  gee  whiz,  it's  hard  to  thin  it  enough,"  said  the  book  farmer.  "I  believe  every  seed  sown  came 
up." 

"Excuse  me,  Mr.  Fullerton,"  said  Ted,  "but  at  'ome  we  bake  'alf  the  seed  before  we  plant  it." 

"Bake  it,  what  for?" 

"So  it  can't  come  up,  sir,"  he  replied.     "Then  it  isn't  so  thick." 

"Good  scheme,  Ted,  we'll  just  about  try  it  next  year."  And  the  more  we  have  planted  the  more  we 
are  convinced  that  such  things  as  lettuce,  endive,  beets,  turnips,  and  in  fact  any  crop  needing  thinning 
should  have  half  the  seed  "baked." 

Of  all  the  varieties  of  lettuce  we  tried,  the  "Golden  Queen"  suited  us  best.  Brilliant  in  color, 
golden  of  heart,  solid,  crisp,  and  mild  flavored,  while  its  tenderness  exceeded  any  lettuce  I  have  ever 
eaten.     As  the  Farmer  says,  "Big  Boston  isn't  in  it." 

On  a  small  irregular  shaped  plot  near  the  well,  beans  had  come  out  as  well  as  lettuce  and  the  bean 
vines  had  been  burned  sometime  ago,  anthracnose  was  too  dangerous  to  have  arounl.  A  smill  amount 
of  manure  was  spread  because  being  near  the  tower  soma  soil  from  th3  well  had  been  spread  upon  it; 
this  soil  came  from  too  great  a  depth  to  be  productive.  Wood  ashes  followed  the  manure,  and  Mike 
prepared  the  ground  to  receive  summer  radishes  where  the  lettuce  had  been  and  summer  lettuce  where 
the  beans  had  been. 

John  drilled  them  in,  and  when  the  lettuce  appeared  one  variety  looked  more  like  turnips  than 
lettuce;  further  growth  disclosed  the  fact  it  was  turnip,  a  mixed  seed  from  a  reputable  firm  and  out  of 
a  sealed  package.     Thus  does  the  farmar  labor  against  great  oids. 

With  the  exodus  of  Aunt  Sophie  and  Uncle  Roger,  we  were  left  with  but  3  hands  and  crops  coming  in 
faster  and  bugs  growing  thicker  every  day. 

On  the  ISth  Dynamiter  Kissam  came  again,  for  it  had  been  decided  to  clear  the  remainder  of  the 
dairy.  We  had  proof  enough  of  the  utter  futility  of  the  ancient  method.  The  dynamiter's  appearance 
necessitated  Italian  help  for  him.  The  sprouts  had  grown  so  vigorously  during  the  summer,  one  would 
not  have  dreamed  the  land  had  been  burned  over  last  fall.  Then,  too,  manure  for  the  dairy  and  farm 
was  coming,  as  at  this  time  of  year  it  could  be  purchased  at  63  cents  a  ton.  This,  of  course,  had  to  be 
unloaded.  Mike  succeeded  in  getting  2  Italians,  who  proved  on  their  arrival  not  to  be  agriculturists  but 
Neapolitans.  They  marched  up  to  our  wash-stanl  by  the  tower,  helped  themselves  to  a  glass  of  water 
and  proceeded  to  Thanksgiving  Cottage  for  dinner. 

Lime  for  fall  use  had  arrived,  and  they  were  first  set  to  unloading  it  and  protecting  it  from  rain 
storms;  then  into  the  dairy  to  pile  stumps  for  Dynamiter  Kissam,  who,  working  alone,  had  blown  100 
the  first  day,  having  prepared  the  charges  the  day  before.  The  Italians  went  to  the  "Port"  Saturday  for 
food.  Sunday  they  returned  rigged  out  in  most  gorgeous  style,  saying  as  their  cousin  had  died,  they 
were  about  to  return  to  Italy.  They,  of  course,  struck  for  pay  for  Saturday  afternoon  (having  left  on 
the  noon  train)  but  a  good  dose  of  Mexican  Spanish,  interpreted  by  Mike  into  Italian,  soon  made  them 
understand  that  would  not  work. 

"Mike,  were  you  afraid  they  would  draw  on  you?  That  big  fellow  probably  had  a  couple  of  knives 
in  those  high  boots,"  said  the  Farmer. 

"0  no,  Mr.  Fuller,'  I  not  afraid;    I  had  3  year  Italian  fencing  school.     They  know  me." 

The  19th  was  marked  in  many  ways.  First  and  foremost  we  picked  the  first  tomato,  a  beautiful 
large  smooth  Earliest  Pink,  and  the  first  cauliflower;  both,  of  course,  went  to  the  Fairy  Godfather. 
A  quantity  of  rhubarb  was  planted,  having  been  sent  from  some  section  of  the  road  where  improvements 
had  extended  into  a  West  End  market-garden,  and  we  pvckeJ  our  first  "home  hamper." 

For  years  the  Railroad  Farmer  has  been  convinced  that  there  is  a  ready  mirket  for  produce  shipped 
direct  to  the  consumer.  A  crate  or  hamper  filled  with  vegetables  in  season  was  his  idea.  He  has  never 
been  able  to  persuade  a  farmer  to  try  it.     "Oh,  it  would  be  so  much  extra  work,"  they  would  say. 

"Yes,  but  you  get  the  extra  pay,"  he  would  reply. 

"Well,  I  know,  but  I  guess  it  wouldn't  be  worth  while."     Here  at  last  was  a  chance  to  try  the 


scheme  himself.  A  crate  holding  six  "four-quart"  baskets  was  selected.  The  three  baskets  in  the 
bottom  contained  beets,  newly  dug  potatoes  (the  kind  you  can  eat  boiled  in  the  skin)  and  cabbage. 
A  partition  over  these  and  the  top  three  contained  peas,  lettuce,  and  cucumbers  in  one  box,  young 
carrots  and  young  onions  in  the  third  box. 

As  a  test  for  this  package  they  were  shipped  to  friends  with  the  urgent  request  for  criticism.  The 
criticism  usually  came  in  the  request  for  more,  although  many  friends  helped  us  with  the  suggestion 
that  tomatoes  be  packed  tight  and  that  peas  and  beans  be  wrapped  in  paper  as  they  spilled  through 
the  crate. 

Mike  had  brought  his  wife  to  cook  for  us.  She  is  a  delicate  colored  woman  with  some  Indian 
blood  in  her  veins.  She  has  0  children;  one  a  baby  of  0  months,  the  oldest  14  years,  and  she  is  28. 
She  was  too  sick  to  work,  therefore,  after  having  a  doctor  see  f.nd  prescribe  for  her,  I  sent  her  home 
with  strict  injunctions  to  rest  all  she  possibly  could. 

A  regular  cloud-burst  occurred  on  the  21st  with  sharp  lightning  and  heavy  thunder  nearby.  We 
dreaded  lest  all  the  corn  be  knocked  flat,  especially  the  fodder  corn  which  was  becoming,  together 
with  the  alfalfa,  the  pride  of  our  hearts.     Thank  fortune  little  damage  was  done. 

The  potatoes'  growth  was  bothering  us  considerably.  Some  varieties  were  extrem.ely  dwarf  and 
turning  brown  early.  There  was  no  sign  of  blight,  which  puzzled  us  all  the  more.  We  went  into  the 
field  taking  up  hills  here  and  there  and  found  many  of  the  potatoes  scarred,  but  without  any  apparent 
cause  for  it. 

Finally  reward  came.  One  potato  stuck  full  of  huckleberry  roots  proved  to  our  satisfaction  that 
this  was  the  cause  of  the  scars.  The  "State  of  Maine,"  the  last  to  be  dug,  was  the  first  to  bloom,  while 
the  "Extra  Earlies"  were  the  last  to  bloom.  Queer  things  potatoes!  Uncle  Gideon's  Quick  Lunch 
suited  us  very  well.  We  dug  some  on  July  23d,  finding  them  medium  sized,  nearly  round,  shallow- 
eyed  flecked  with  carmine,  and  a  delicious  "eater."  At  this  season  40  feet  yielded  one  peck.  Some 
day  all  vegetables,  fruits,  and  eggs  will  be  sold  by  the  pound.  I  hope  the  day  is  not  far  distant,  for 
that  is  the  rational  method.  ^^  eigh  a  dozen  measly  store  eggs  against  a  dozen  fine  fresh  ones  and  you 
will  see  where  the  buyer  would  gain.  The  "Extra  Earlies"  gave  a  greater  yield,  but  were  not  nearly 
so  fine  either  in  appearance,  shape  or  flavor. 

Almost  every  day  after  this  saw  a  "home  hamper"  going  on  a  mission. 

Early  in  June  or  just  after  the  bird  bath  had  been  placed,  we  "doctored"  the  lawn  a  little.  In 
patches  it  was  still  bare,  so  Ted  raked  them  over,  then  rolled  the  entire  lawn.  Again  raking  it  he  sowed 
more  seed  and  rolled  a  second  time.  The  sprayers  were  started  immediately,  and  by  the  27th  the  song 
of  the  lawn-mower  was  heard  in  the  wilderness.  As  pretty  a  lawn  with  a  goodly  showing  of  white 
clover  had  been  procured  as  many  sections  could  show  at  the  end  of  two  j^ears. 

Mike  succeeded  in  getting  three  agricultural  Italians  at  last.  One  had  been  on  the  section  gang, 
passing  the  farm  every  day  all  the  season  and  had  become  much  interested  in  it;  one  came  from  "Easter 
New  Yorker,"  a  young  fellow  whose  father  had  been  a  farmer;  while  the  third  had  been  for  some  time 
with  neighbor  Tesla  at  his  "wireless"  station.  Their  names  were  Antonio  Bignoni,  Martino  Luliccio, 
and  Pedro  Centro. 

They  made  for  themselves  a  bunk  in  the  work  shop  and  a  cook  house  along  the  eastern  fence.  They 
are  quiet,  content,  polite,  and  faithful,  and  are  still  with  us.  They  learn  quickly,  and  after  once  being 
shown  a  thing  can  be  trusted  to  do  it  alone. 

There  were  times  when  we  were  glad  to  borrow  them  from  the  dairy,  for  the  entire  farm  needed 
cultivation,  while  picking  could  under  no  circumstances  be  neglected. 

For  the  2Sth  the  diary  says:  "The  entire  farm  is  this  day  thoroughly  cultivated";  and  as  that  was 
Saturday,  a  sense  of  rest  naturally  pervaded  the  entire  farm  family.  In  fact  one  of  the  things  that 
struck  me  most  forcibly  this  summer  was  e\  eryone's  enjoyment  of  Saturday  afternoon  after  mid-summer. 
No  picking  and  packing  to  attend  to,  just  getting  to  rights  for  the  Sabbath  and  cultiva,ting  the  crops 
that  everyone  had  been  aching  to  get  at  for  days.  There  were  no  Saturday  half  holidays  and  there 
were  no  kicks. 

Rainy  days  were  always  filled  clearing  the  barn  and  shops,  putting  together  crates  and  doing  indoor 
work,  often  these  chores  were  saved  for  a  rainy  spell  and  many  times  the  buildings  looked  neglected 
and  uncared  for,  but  we  knew  their  turn  would  come  in  good  season. 

At  the  end  of  July  invitations  went  to  the  same  "history  makers"  and  ex-perts  who  visited  the 
farm  on  its  first  blasting  day.  They  went  in  the  form  of  a  "home  hamper"  and  a  call  to  come  and  see 
the  vegetables  growing.  August  7th  was  set  as  the  date,  11  months  and  a  day  from  their  last  visit, 
when  they  had  begged  us  not  to  attempt  the  problem. 

A  hint  from  the  diary  for  August  1st  is  as  follows:  "We  picked  and  packed  a  bushel  of  wax,  and 
three-quarters  of  a  bushel  of  green  pod  stringless  beans,  beautiful  in  color  and  form,  rnd  so  tender 
and  brittle  it  was  difficult  to  handle  them."  Well  I  remember  them,  for  they  were  the  fiist  pick  from 
the  third  planting  and  we  were  glad  that  we  had  persisted  in  our  efforts  to  grow  them  free  from  disease. 

That  same  day  we  had  a  flying  visit  from  a  member  of  the  New  York  City  Board  of  Education. 
He  came,  he  said,  because  he  could  not  credit  the  stories  he  had  heard  of  such  marvelous  development 
in  so  short  a  time.  He  frankly  confessed  as  he  went  over  the  farm  that  it  was  almost  beyond  the  powers 
of  conception  to  realize  that  11  months  before  the  place  was  in  its  primeval  state. 

And  truly  it  was  a  sight  during  August.  Such  wealth  of  growth,  such  a  variety  of  vegetation  one 
seldom  sees. 

A  three  days'  rain  from  the  northeast  in  the  first  part  of  this  month  gave  us  opportunity  of  doing 
many  small  indoor  jobs.  Seed  boxes  were  made,  more  crates  put  together,  engine  room  straightened 
out,  baskets  piled  and  between  showers  wire  put  up  for  berry  and  grape  vines.  But  at  the  end  of  the 
third  day  "Mike  cultivated  the  pea  patch  on  acre  No.  3,  John  drilled  in  red  top  and  Aberdeen  turnips, 
Ted  cut  the  lawn  and  trimmed  up  borders,"  which  shows  what  a  truly  remarkable  soil  this  is. 

The  6th  was  spent  in  preparing  for  the  morrow's  distinguished  visitors.  The  day  bemg  clear 
they  were  to  feast  in  the  open  upon  the  farm's  products.     Ted  also  drilled  in  some  spinach  between  the 


rows  of  earn  on  acre  No.  2,  the  "intensive  plot."  This  was  the  fourth  crop  on  this  land  in  one  year 
without  fertilization.  "There's  miny  a  slip  'twixt  the  cup  and  lip,"  however,  and  county  fairs  claimed 
our  attention  to  such  an  extent  during  September  that  this  fourth  crop  did  but  fairly  well  during  the 
six  weeks'  drju^ht  of  this  fall. 

Th3  7th  was  "mide  a  purpose  for  us."  Warm,  west  wind,  overcast,  just  the  day  to  make  city 
chainei  man  glad  to  hs  in  the  country.  Our  guests  arrived  at  noon;  a  short  survey  of  the  farm  from 
the  house  plot  an  J  they  sat  down  to  dinner  on  the  lawn  by  the  fountain  under  the  shade  of  our  rescued 
trees.  I  give  you  pictorially  the  msnu  and  I  can  assure  you  I  never  saw  men  enjoy  a  meal  more.  Ten 
vegetables,  all  from  the  land  they  had  been  afraid  to  have  us  go  into  a  few  months  before. 

If  [  m  ly  take  you  with  us  again  after  dinner  on  a  tour  of  the  farm  I  will  try  to  show  you  what 
they  beheld. 

The  lawn  more  beautiful  than  ever,  while  oxalis  in  bloom  about  the  trees,  roses,  sweet  peas,  and 
coboevs,  ani  other  vines  clim'oing  upon  the  fence,  porch,  and  tower;  gladiolus  in  clumps  and  the  nastur- 
tium root  pile  a  blaze  of  gorgeous  blossoms.  Bulbous  begonias  in  riotous  bloom  opposite  the  tank  tower 
and  outdoor  wash-stand  where  "root  antlers"  serve  as  a  towel  rack,  past  the  house  and  Government 
plot  to  the  turn  in  the  drive.  Along  the  chicken  yard  fence  rich  red  gladioli  are  in  their  prime,  attract- 
ing a  flock  of  humming  birds,  while  the  vegetable  flower  garden  shows  scarlet  runners,  cardoon  of  tropi- 
cal growth,  and  peppers  that  I  doubt  can  be  excelled  anywhere,  and  borage,  self-sown,  in  bloom  of  blue. 
The  sammsr  radishes  and  lettuce  are  thriving  remarkably,  while  corn  is  in  tassel  beside  the  cottages. 
B33ts  with  their  rich  foliage,  erratic  onions  (which,  by  the  way,  several  were  delighted  to  help 
them33lv3s  to)  and  cabbage.  Let  us  pause  here  a  moment.  Mike  had  brought  one  in  during  dinner 
measuring  with  its  leavas  still  on,  forty-two  inches  in  diameter.  The  exclamation  arose,  "How  did  you 
do  it,  Fulbrton?     You  certainly  mast  have  set  up  nights  with  that  fellow!" 

"Thsre  are  plenty  m^re  in  the  fiald,"  he  replied,  but  they  were  hardly  convinced. 
Hire  before  us  is  a  patch  containing  many  of  equal  size,  while  the  entire  growth  is  way  above  the 
average. 

"My  g^oiness,  how  did  you  raise  those  melons?"  broke  from  one  of  the  party.  "I  never  saw 
such  a  set  in  my  life.     I'm  coming  out  again  when  they're  ripe." 

"The  prophecy  is  they  will  not  be  sweet,  because  the  soil  is  a  little  heavy,"  said  the  "show  guide." 
"But  if  there  are  any  good  I  see  our  finish  trying  to  pick  and  ship  them." 
"You'll  have  your  hands  full,  all  right,"  they  replied. 

Potatoes,  carrots,  beans,  peas,  parsnips,  cauliflower,  salsify,  sprouts,  all  on  the  way  to  the  dairy, 
called  forth  applause. 

"By  jin^o,  Fullerton,  that's  alfalfa,  isn't  it?"  exclaimed  one  who  is  considered  one  of  the  best  alfalfa 
experts  in  the  United  States.     "You  don't  mean  to  tell  me  you  planted  that  this  year." 
"Yes,  sir,  the  first  day  of  June.     What  do  you  think  of  it?"  the  farmer  asked. 
"Think  of  it!     Why  it's  the  best  I  have  ever  seen,  no  matter  of  what  age.     Why,  man  alive,  that's 
here  to  stay  and  the  bacteria  are  at  work  all  right,  all  right."     "Golly,  this  part,"  as  we  walked  toward 
the  top  dressed  quarter,  "knocks  the  stuffin'  out  of  anything  else  I  have  ever  seen.     How  did  you  do  it?" 
"Had  the  soil  alkali,"  replied  the  book  farmer,"  and  we  didn't  guess  about  it  either,  we  took  a  very 
small  piece  of  litmus  paper  and  a  handful  of  soil  and  found  out." 

"Well,  sir,  you've  done  the  best  and  biggest  thing  that  has  been  done  for  the  Eastern  States  in 
many  a  year,"  replied  another. 

Here  to  the  left  is  teosinte,  a  new  crop  to  some  of  them  and  one  that  called  forth  much  admiration. 
Its  broad  leaves,  shortnese  of  stalk  and  luxuriant  growth  appealed  to  any  map  interested  in  silage. 
And  the  millet,  which  had  been  a  light  green  sea  of  beauty  all  the  season  was  now  shoulder  high 
and  blossoming  with  a  soft  long  brown  "bull-rush-like"  tassel.  This  field  showed  more  plainly  than 
any  other  spot  on  the  whole  cleared  acreage,  where  the  bonfires  had  been;  not  only  did  it  show  the 
effects  of  the  ashes  in  height,  but  in  density  of  color. 

The  field  of  fodder  corn  calls  for  further  exclamations. 

"Fullerton,  that's  the  best  corn  I've  seen  this  season,"  said  one  guest,  who  travels  much  in  the 
interest  of  agriculture.     "What  did  you  leave  so  many  stalks  to  the  hill  for?" 

"This  was  planted  for  fodder,  old  man,  but  'Pennsy  millions'  failed  to  buy  us  time  enough  to  get 
a  silo  up  in  which  to  put  it,  so  I  had  to  let  it  grow,"  answered  the  Senior  Partner. 
"That  sorghum  is  no  slouch  either,"  replied  another. 

"Gee  whillicans!"  exclaimed  a  third,  "where  did  you  get  this?"  as  we  came  to  the  Virginia  horse 
tooth.  "Man  alive  you  must  think  this  is  Kentucky.  How  high  do  you  suppose  that  is?"  as  he  went 
up  to  measure  it. 

"A  good  twelve  feet,"  said  one,  "you're  a  bean  pole  yourself  and  you  look  like  an  infant  in  there." 
(Man  language  is  often  more  forceful  than  complimentary). 

"What  will  that  be  when  it's  done?  Why  this  is  only  early  August,  it  has  another  good  two  months 
yet,"  said  a  third. 

"We're  hoping  for  sixteen  feet  and  to  be  able  to  mature  it,"  said  I. 

"Well,  you  have  a  record  now,"  was  the  reply,  "no  matter  what  happens  to  it  in  the  future." 
"Dynamiter  Kissam  is  working  here  and  he'll  blow  a  few  stumps  and  some  trees  for  you  if  you 
want."  said  the  farmer.     "There's  a  good  big  chestnut  six  feet  through  and  he  will  blow  it  by  battery." 
"Oh,  please  mayn't  I?"  I  exclaimed,  and  womanlike,  I  had  my  way.     My  but  it  was  a  "beauty 
blow"  (that's  technical).     She  came  out  clean,  and  pieces  went  way  over  into  the  corn. 

"We're  going  to  take  out  some  of  these  pines,  we  want  a  few  as  shade  apology  for  the  cattle,  but 
these  three  extend  too  far  east." 

"Are  you  ready,  Charles?"  he  called. 

"Fire !"  came  the  reply  and  12  feet  up  into  the  air  flew  the  tree,  root  and  all,  and  falling  split  through 
the  center. 

"There  you  are,"  said  the  wise  one,  "land  cleared  and  wood  split  all  for  10  cents." 

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"How  much^^dyiiamite  did  it  take?"  asked  one. 

"A  half  a  pound,"  was  the  replj',  "and  time  enough  to  affix  the  cap  and  charge  the  stump." 

"Are  you  going  to  clear  No.  2  the  same  way,  Mr.  Fullerton?"  asked  one  guest. 

"Ten  acres  are  cleared,  the  dynamite  has  just  come  over  from  there,"  he  replied. 

"How  many  acres  have  you  in  that  piece?" 

"Eighty.  It  was  the  smallest  we  could  buy.  Ten  of  it  will  be  market-garden  and  for  the  70  we 
are  considering  a  plan  to  reforest  and  grow  railroad  timber.  A  30  foot  fire  strip  to  check  the  annual 
bum-over  permitted  by  thoughtless  or  careless  owners,  will  be  cleared  all  round  it  and  there  we  will 
grow  corn  and  such  crops  to  pay  for  the  clearing.  Then  all  good  specimens  of  oak  and  chestnuts  and 
enough  pines  and  underbrush  to  give  forest  environment  will  be  left.  We  think  of  planting  European 
larch,  and  will  blow  a  hole  to  plant  them  in.  Of  course  these  trees  want  a  protection  of  undergrovrth 
just  as  all  forest  trees  require,  so  we  will  do  no  clearing,"  said  the  farmer. 

"What  do  j'ou  mean  by  blowing  a  hole,  Mr.  Fullerton?" 

"Why  it  struck  me  one  day  it  would  be  a  good  sight  easier  and  cheaper  to  blow  a  hole  with  a  charge 
of  dynamite  than  try  to  dig  one  in  that  mess  of  undergrowth  and  roots,  so  Charlie  and  I  went  over  into 
the  woods  yonder  and  inserted  a  quarter  of  a  pound  at  a  4.5  degree  angle  about  2  feet  below  the  surface. 
She  tore  up  a  hole  ly^  to  3  feet  in  diameter,  leaving  perfectly  pulverized  soil  fully  2  feet  deep  in  which  to 
plant  a  tree.  By  putting  the  charge  in  a  little  flatter  we  secured  even  better  results.  With  a  helper 
Kissam  can  make  250  holes  a  day  at  a  cost  of  $12.12.  We  think  Black  Judson  powder  would  do  just  as 
welland  would  reduce  the  cost  to  $10.88  per  250  holes." 

"Great   head!"   was   the   reply. 

Returning  from  the  dairy  we  go  south  along  the  division  fence  where  we  can  see  the  cowpeas 
making  a  brave  struggle  among  the  sprouts  and  ferns  of  an  uncleared  section.  The  sugar  beets  and 
mangels  are  making  fine  growth,  while  the  sweet  pototoes  dehght  the  hearts  of  Southerners  and  West- 
erners. Sun-flowers,  two  long  rows  of  them,  which  John  and  Mike  had  planted  quickly  one  day,  mak- 
ing a  dent  with  the  heel,  dropping  the  seed  and  pressing  the  earth  over  with  the  toe,  were  thriving 
well.  Astonishment  at  them  was  exhibited  until  we  spoke  of  the  use  of  the  seed  as  poultry  food,  when 
it  was  thoroughly  understood. 

Now  we  come  to  the  pride  of  our  hearts,  our  own  cauliflower,  sprouts  and  cabbage  seedlings,  fields 
as  fair  as  man  can  look  upon,  plants  stocky  and  vigorous  enough  to  make  one  feel  certain  of  "big  returns." 

Squash  and  cucumbers  in  profusion,  while  corn  just  bearing,  and  limas  filhng  rapidly,  brings  us 
to  the  orchard  with  its  luxuriant  tree  growth  and  tomato  vines  laden  with  fruit  and  every  inch  of  spare 
space  covered  with  crimson  clover  to  be  plowed  under  in  the  spring  for  green  manure;  berry  vines, 
asparagus,  rhubarb,  red  carrots  from  China  tasted  as  a  rare  treat  and  found  as  sweet  as  a  parsnip,  and 
we  are  again  back  to  the  east  of  the  house,  where  the  tiny  ever-blooming  roses  are  making  a  good  headway. 

Down  into  the  cellar  we  usher  our  guests,  where  the  transverse  section  of  the  soil  calls  forth  fresh 
exclamations  of  delight  and  wonder,  and  the  bushels  of  vegetables  prove  that  this  is  a  market-garden 
competing  with  and  forcing  recognition  from  the  world  at  large. 

A  drive  through  the  beautiful  old  village  of  Wading  River  and  up  to  the  depot,  where  the  farmer 
accompanied  his  guests  a  portion  of  the  way  back  to  the  city's  turmoil,  ended  for  these  gentlemen  what 
I  am  sure  was  a  unique  day. 

Returning  at  eventide  the  Senior  Partner  brought  with  him  a  doubtful  one,  a  Congressman  of  good 
Quaker  descent  and  a  thorough  believer  in  and  earnest  worker  for  Long  Island,  but  "Fullerton's  farm 
stories  are  too  big  to  believe,"  he  said. 

"Seeing  is  believeing,"  and  his  tour  of  the  farm  drew  from  him  a  frank  and  delighted  acknowledg- 
ment that  we  had  "produced  the  goods,"  and,  like  our  visitor  of  a  few  hours  earlier,  he  pronounced  the 
alfalfa,  "the  finest  I  have  ever  seen  and  I  raise  it  in  Kansas  myself." 

The  early  potatoes  having  been  dug,  Mike  spread  some  lime  upon  the  patch,  harrowing  it  in  and 
preparing  it  after  our  usual  manner,  ready  to  receive  spinach.  Though  August  is  early  for  planting  this 
crop,  we  felt  the  irrigation  plant  would  give  us  good  aid. 

For  the  8th  the  diary  says:  "Packed  2  crates  fancy  tomatoes,  2  home  hampers,  2  bushels  of  lima 
beans,  10  dozen  ears  of  corn,  and  2  barrels  of  cabbage." 

That  may  sound  simple  to  the  uninitiated,  but  in  reality  it  means  sorting  the  tomatoes,  rejecting 
all  that  are  not  perfect  either  in  shape  or  otherwise,  polishing  the  good  ones,  packing  them  in  "4-quart" 
baskets,  6  baskets  to  a  crate.  The  hampers  called  for  early  potatoes  sorted  and  washed,  beets  washed 
and  the  tops  slightly  trimmed,  beans  packed  with  paraffined  paper  to  prevent  spilling,  cabbage  trimmed 
and  thoroughly  washed,  tomatoes  polished,  carrots  and  onions  cleansed  and  trimmed.  Beans  are  slow 
to  pick  and  like  peas  deserve  to  bring  a  high  price  in  the  markets.  Corn  was  sorted  and  packed  in  a 
crate,  while  all  cabbages  were  thoroughly  sprayed.  Such  was  the  packing  required  of  No.  1  for  the 
label  that  goes  on  our  packages  we  wish  synonymous  with  "the  best  that  can  be  produced." 

As  an  illustration  of  what  a  man  can  do  in  a  day,  the  following  from  the  9th  is  fair:  "Mike  bor- 
deauxed  and  paris  greened  all  melons,  sprouts,  early  cauliflower  and  cabbage,  also  cultivated  nearly  all 
of  acres  eight  and  nine."     Mike  also  had  entire  care  of  the  horses  and  was  our  chief  help  in  the  packing. 

For  days  the  weather  had  been  overcast,  hot  and  moist,  true  hothouse  weather.  The  morning  of 
the  10th  it  seemed  as  though  our  entire  hopes  were  to  be  blasted.  I  think  I  can  give  you  nothing  more 
vivid  than  the  report  the  over-wrought  Senior  Partner  sent  that  day  to  Mr.  Peters: 

General  Conditions  on  Experiment  Station  No.  1,  August  10,  1905. 
"Mr.  Ralph  Peters,  Pres.,  Long  Island  City. 

"Dear  Sir: — The  weather  conditions  prevailing  throughout  this  the  first  year  of  the  Long  Island 
Railroad  Experimental  Station  No.  1  have  certainly  been  abnormal  and  lately  the  astounding  change 
in  vegetable  growth,  showing  in  a  most  marked  manner  probably  because  of  one  day's  absence  caused 
by  hospital  visit  on  account  of  my  ball  and  socket  joint  knee,  made  me  feel  that  details  should  be  re- 
corded for  your  log  book  of  No.  1. 

"The  blight  imported  with  celeriac  from  big  commercial  plant  growers  has  extended  to  fine,  healthy 

48 


,,.1 


cauliflowers,  No.  1,  grown  from  seed.  In  spite  of  almost  daily  personal  attention  and  care  there  is 
hardly  a  head  of  either  cabbage  or  cauliflower  planted  on  acre  No.  1  in  the  home  plot,  in  order  to  keep 
it  under  continual  observation,  that  does  not  show  anything  from  slight  injury  to  absolute  destruction 
from  this  very  serious  imported  blight.  The  long  continuing  overcast  Turkishbath  weather  has  sent 
the  shallots  into  a  weedy-like  growth  resembling  closely  marsh  grass  effect.  Peppers  are  apparently  the 
only  things  that  are  truly  happy.  Summer  lettuce  lately  planted  is  making  a  weedy  growth,  with  the 
exception  of  one  variety  which  came  up  turnips,  a  mixture  I  understand  skilfully  concocted  by  a  dis- 
charged foreman  of  one  of  our  American  seedsmen  who  carried  out  exactly  the  same  methods  of  revenge 
pursued  by  a  superintendent  of  a  German  house  who  succeeded  in  absolutely  destroying  all  landscape 
gardening  effects  in  Europe  and  America  where  nasturtiums  were  part  of  the  color  scheme.  Various 
summer  radishes  lately  planted  look  more  like  foliage  plants  than  vegetables.  Corn,  of  course,  is  su- 
premely happy.  In  the  cabbage  patch  acre  No.  2  imported  plants,  the  growth  of  black  rot  and  fuzzy 
cabbage  louse  is  far  superior  in  vigor  to  the  cabbage  plant  itself.  Our  splendid  stand  of  kohl-rabi  has 
been  infected  from  the  cabbage  just  east  of  it  through  the  medium  of  our  frequently  prevailing 
northeast  winds.  In  order  to  save  them,  we  shall  ship  all  we  have  at  once.  The  finest  lot  of  kale  that 
I  have  ever  seen  even  about  Long  Island  City  has  also  been  affected  by  imported  black  rot  and  louse 
so  that  it  must  be  cut  and  shipped  immediately  in  order  to  pull  out  all  we  can.  The  carrots,  both 
first  and  second  planting,  are  paying  beautifully.  The  shell  beans,  although  as  erratic  in  growth  and 
set  as  elsewhere  according  to  reports  throughout  the  United  States,  show  freedom  from  anthracnose 
and  other  blights,  because  of  continual  and  early  use  of  bordeaux.  Turnips  planted  July  20th  appear 
to  be  in  fine  condition.  Salsify  and  scorzonera  show  up  superbly.  The  tips  of  the  salsify  leaves  are 
shrivelled  and  black  and  occasionally  the  same  effect  is  seen  in  the  scorzonera,  a  normal  peculiarity. 
The  frost  touched  golden  bantam  and  peep-o'-day  corn  is  making  up  for  lost  time,  many  of  the  stalks 
running  three  and  four  ears  on  main  and  side  shoots.  Brussels  sprouts  planted  among  this  corn  show 
up  best  of  all  plantings.  Parsnips  supremely  happy,  and  sugar  beets  ditto.  Turnips  of  August  4th 
show  in  even  and  very  nearly  straight  rows.  Sprouts  in  acre  No.  6  are  in  spots  badly  affected  by  the 
louse.  Cauliflower,  home  grown,  which  was  in  fine  shape,  affected  badly  by  imported  blight.  Potatoes 
show  same  erratic  browning,  which  is  strikingly  prevalent  in  every  section  of  Long  Island  and  I  should 
judge  throughout  the  United  States  from  reports  in  the  papers.  Beans  on  acre  No.  3  would  be  fine 
specimens  in  the  best  bean  season  ever  known.  This  beyond  question  entirely  due  to  bordeaux  applied 
as  soon  as  plants  appeared.  Onions  planted  June  13th  on  acre  No.  3  show  that  ground  is  in  far  from 
proper  condition  to  suit  onion  germination  and  growth.  The  same  erratic  showing  of  rows  is  here 
that  was  found  in  the  first  planting  made  on  acre  No.  2.  The  cabbage  set  out  in  acre  No.  3  has  done 
marvelously  well,  yielding  a  very  large  percentage  of  not  only  marketable,  but  very  large  solid  heads. 
First  planting  of  onions  still  reminds  one  very  much  of  a  shave  with  a  dull  razor.  The  beets,  because 
late  germinations,  have  somewhat  caught  up  and  transplanthigs  have  helped  out  broken  rows,  are  grow- 
ing thriftily  and  look  somewhat  like  a  well  kept  market-garden.  Turnips  planted  on  acre  No.  2  were 
superb  the  day  before  yesterday ;  to-day  leaf  and  even  bulb  have  rotted  so  badly  that  in  appearance  and 
stench  the  showing  is  awful.  Endive  for  the  first  time  is  making  beautiful  growth  and  promise  for  crop 
is  excellent. 

"Melons  I  hardly  dare  speak  of,  for  fear  they  will  have  the  blight.  The  acre  is  the  most  beautiful 
patch  I  have  ever  seen  and  I  came  from  a  melon  country.  The  set  is  superb,  the  bees  are  marvelously 
thick  and  the  melons  are  fiUing  out  large  and  shapely.  The  assorted  blighted  and  measly  celery  plants 
have  at  last  secured  enough  vigor  through  copious  doses  of  wood  ashes,  Long  Island  fertility,  diluted 
salt  water  coming  to  us  in  the  form  of  fog,  to  show  considerable  promise.  The  very  best  of  the  bunch, 
however,  is  golden  self-blanching,  raised  in  No.  I's  seed-bed. 

"In  our  vegetable  flower  garden,  peppers,  are  as  elsewhere,  superb  both  in  leaf  and  fruit.  The 
cardoon  shows  here  and  there  leaf  blight,  but  makes  up  in  part  by  a  number  of  good  sized  buds. 
Scarlet  runner  is  growing  luxuriantly  with  no  sign  of  vegetable  enemy.  On  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment plot  both  haricot  beans  and  lawTi  are  in  fine  shape.  The  squash  and  pumpkin  samples  near  house 
plot  we  have  apparently  saved  in  part  from  the  ravages  of  the  brood  of  the  small  striped  beetle, 
who  do  not  seem  to  keep  ahead  of  the  special  brand  of  imported  blight.  Celeriac  and  celery  look  like  a 
convalescent's  home.  In  the  orchard,  acre  No.  4,  the  trees  are  making  superb  growth.  Crimson 
clover  well  nigh  covers  bare  places.  Tomato  plants  are  most  disheartening,  besides  the  loss  of  at  least 
85%  of  the  set  crop,  the  wet  weather  is  rotting  the  plant  itself  so  that  from  the  present  outlook  90% 
total  loss  is  probably  nearer  to  fair  statement.  The  yellow  raspberries  from  which  we  even  had  a  small 
yield  are  dying  rapidly.  Will  endeavor  to  discover  cause.  Peanuts  'all  to  the  merry.'  For  some 
reason  limas  look  particularly  thrifty,  reason  unknown;  they  should  be  totally  or  nearly  destroyed  by 
mildew.  Corn  on  acre  No.  7  superb,  in  silk,  in  growth,  in  tassel,  and  leaf.  Early  cucumbers'  season 
about  done;  yield  and  freedom  from  disease  first  rate.  Squashes  of  all  varieties  have  done  particu- 
larly well  and  still  making  fine  fruit.  Turnips  sown  July  29th  splendid.  Late  tomatoes  are  holding  up 
well.  Eggplants  with  the  aid  of  a  large  assortment  of  bumblebees,  are  settling  remarkably  well. 
Some  of  the  late  tomatoes  are  apparently  keeping  in  style  by  rotting  from  the  ground  up. 

"We  life  partners  have  in  going  over  acres  Nos.  8,  9.  and  10  imbibed  a  vegetable  ni'nt-julip  or 
cocktail  according  to  one's  early  environment,  the  late  cabbages,  red,  curly-leafed,  and  regular;  the 
Brussels  sprouts,  and  the  late  cauliflower,  which  are  as  magnificent  as  anyone  could  possible  see.  Oc- 
casionally there  is  an  affected  leaf,  which  to  us  shows  that  the  spores  from  the  imported  plants  have 
been  wafted  their  way.  Bordeaux  has  done  well,  but  we  are  taking  no  chances  nor  omitting  any  pre- 
cautions whatever,  and  to-day  all  hands  are  picking  infected  leaves.  The  sweet  potatoes  remind  me 
of  Loveland,  Ohio ;  more  cannot  be  said.  Two  rows  of  sunflowers  planted  for  the  benefit  of  the  feathered 
stock  go  billowing  across  the  field  showing  plainly  where  the  stumps  were  burned  last  year.  The  soaked 
sugar-beets  have  at  last  about  caught  up  with  the  unsoaked  rows.  The  test  mangels  are  doing  splen- 
didly. The  black  Mexican  sugar  corn  is  in  tassel  and  .showing  up  well.  Second  planting  of  early 
corn  all  well  and  made  quite  an  even  stand  throughout.     In  .spite  of  frequent  showers  and  downpours, 

50 


"Home  Hamper"  Fillers 


we  ha\o  certainly  demonstrated  the  necessity  for  frequent  applications  of  fungicides  and  insecticides, 
and  that  it  unquestionably  pays  to  use  both  through  the  very  earliest  period  of  plant  growth.  The 
necessity  for  a  sprayman  even  on  a  market-garden  of  only  ten  acres  is  proven  conclusively  and  next 
year  if  you  approve,  one  man  will  be  assigned  solely  to  this  work,  with  instructions  to  keep  up  an  endless 
round  in  a  methodical  manner,  so  that  no  plot  may  be  overlooked  and  further  to  be  careful  to  make 
a  spraying  tour  directly  after  a  storm.  Have  had  a  particularly  good  man  to  handle  this  part  of  thework, 
but  the  setting  out  and  cultivation  many  times  forced  us  to  leave  alone  plots  showing  up  thriftily  and 
without  signs  of  coming  disaster.  It  was  most  unfortunate  that  we  were  unable,  because  of  a  great 
deal  of  new  work  to  be  done  which  will  not  need  thought  next  year  or  labor,  to  raise  every  plant  for 
No.  1.  We  imported  a  great  number  of  insects  in  various  forms  and  certainly  2  of  the  most  dangerous 
and  rare  blights  and  fungous  growths  and  undoubtedly  others  of  lesser  moment.  One  thing  we  shall 
urge  most  strongly  in  pamphlet,  which  is  now  well  along,  is  that  nothing  be  planted  in  this  new  ground 
but  the  best  of  seed  from  strictly  reliable  firms  and  that  under  no  circumstances  should  plants  be  secured 
from  outside  territory.  From  the  very  first  we  have  feared  introduction  of  pest  and  for  this  reasori 
took  extraordinary  precaution  with  two  varieties  of  potatoes  we  received  showing  a  mysterious,  im- 
possible to  locate,  disease  which  caused  us  to  destroy  a  very  large  number  of  them. — Yours  truly,  H.  B. 
Fullerton.  Special  Agent." 

The  day  brought  us  however,  a  cook;  a  woman  with  a  three-year-old  child  who  came  through  the 
Sunshine  Society. 

The  striped  beetle  were  as  thick  upon  the  melons  as  though  it  was  not  time  for  them  to  have  dis- 
appeared for  the  season.  They  are  the  most  difficult  things  to  kill  one  can  find,  while  their  young 
are  the  terror  of  all  gardeners.  These  beetles  lay  their  eggs  under  the  soil,  the  young,  a  worm,  bores 
into  the  stem  of  the  vine  and  promptly  kills  it.  The  melons  were  sprayed  way  beyond  the  time  that 
is  considered  safe,  in  order  to  kill  the  beetle  if  possible,  but  nothing  seemed  to  avail. 

On  the  11th,  Mr.  Peters  came,  his  heart  seemed  wrapped  up  in  that  melon  field,  he  spied  each 
large  melon,  tapping  and  testing  it  to  see  if  he  could  not  find  one  ripe. 

"Mr.  Fullerton,  try  different  insecticides  around  some  of  the  vines  about  the  roots  and  let's  see 
if  we  cannot  save  them.  My,  it  would  be  a  shame  to  lose  that  melon  field,"  he  said.  So  we  made  the 
following  applications.  Going  across  the  field  from  east  to  west  and  taking  3  rows  at  a  tim3,  this  brought 
each  test  upon  each  variety  of  melon. 

First  3  rows  lime  and  tobacco  stems  steeped. 

Second  3  rows  tobacco  stems  steeped. 

Third  3  rows  slug  shot. 

Fourth  3  rows  ashes  and  kainit. 

Fifth  3  rows  lime. 

This  was  placed  immediately  about  the  roots.  None  of  them  showed  marked  results  and  the 
beetle  tried  harder  than  ever  to  get  inside  the  melons  themselves. 

That  night  we  had  rose  China  radishes  for  supper,  26  days  after  planting  the  seed. 

On  Monday,  the  13th,  the  day  and  date  being  propitious,  John  was  sent  out  to  mow  the  alfalfa. 
It  was  26  inches  high  and  in  full  bloom.  After  it  was  cut  (and  John  said  it  was  pretty  heavy),  all  weeds, 
roots,  etc.,  were  picked  from  it  before  weighing,  that  the  figures  might  be  exact.  It  was  weighed  green. 
The  weights  are  as  follows: 

Northeast  quarter    (soil  top  dressed) 1,673  lbs. 

Northwest    quarter     (uninoculated) 726  lbs. 

Southeast    quarter    (seed    inoculated ) 416  lbs. 

Southwest  quarter   (soil  and   seed  inoculated) 377  lbs. 

Total     3,192  lbs. 

Next  it  was  spread,  and  the  day  being  overcast,  but  not  foreboding  rain  it  was  allowed  to  remain 
until  nightfall,  when  it  was  raked  into  windrows.  The  n3xt  morning  early  it  was  spread,  and  in  an  hour 
being  dry  but  not  crackly,  was  tied  into  bales  of  about  25  pounds'  weight  and  taken  to  th3  barn.  Here 
t  was  weighed  again. 

Northeast  quarter    (soil   top   dressed) 701  lbs. 

Northwest    quarter     (uninoculated) 313  lbs. 

Southeast   quarter    (seed    inoculated) 189  lbs. 

Southwest   quarter    (seed  and   soil   inoculated) 168  lbs. 

Total     1,371  lbs. 

It  is  cured  to  perfection,  the  leaves  remaining  on  whde  the  stem  is  still  green.  Horse  Texas  will 
almost  break  his  harness  to  get  some,  while  Buckeye  disdains  even  to  notice  it. 

Corn  was  now  a  daily  diet  in  our  household.  Of  course  we  tried  every  variety  of  everything  grown, 
but  nothing  caused  such  a  howl  to  be  set  up  as  the  non-appearance  of  (jolden  Bantam  corn.  It  was 
absolutely  useless  to  put  any  other  variety  on  the  table  as  long  as  this  little  gem  lasted. 

In  the  Senior  Partner's  phraseology,  "it's  the  earliest,  ugliest,  sm'iUest,  sweetest  corn  that  grows. 
If  you  once  taste  it  you  won't  want  any  other."  'Tis  extremely  yellow,  therefore  not  popular  with 
tradesman,  but  a  decidedly  good  crop  for  home  hampers. 

Italians  were  sent  into  the  tomatoes  to  pick  every  morning  now,  for  it  required  two  and  some- 
times three  of  us  a  good  part  of  the  diy  packing  various  produ3ts.  Many  a  morning  they  have  brought 
in  1.5  to  18  bushels  of  tomatoes,  while  cabbage,  radishes,  lettuce,  kale,  kohl-rabi,  carrots,  eggplant, 
corn,  and  beans,  kept  all  hands  pretty  busy. 

We  were  informed  by  one  of  our  Huntington  neighbors  that  a  little  excursion  had  been  planned 
from  that  point  to  the  farm  for  the  15th.  Glad  we  were  to  hear  it,  for  we  were  anxious  to  have  more 
people  see  and  believe  the  stDries  of  the  wonderful  growth.  For  their  benefit  we  had  arranged  part 
of  the  day's  pick  on  the  front  porch  and  it  made  a  very  good  "agricultural  exhibit"  including  corn,  egg- 

52 


i!lDe  Tobacco  at  both  Ko.  1  and  No.   2 


plant,  green  and  wax  beans,  pole  and  bush  limas,  squash,  vegetable  marrow,  four  varieties  of  tomatoes 
(pink,  red,  large  and  small  yellows),  cauliflower,  one  cabbage,  weighing  when  stripped  for  market, 
^teen  pounds,  beets,  carrots,  onions,  and  peppers. 

The  Farmer  was  particularly  anxious  to  see  the  assistant  postmaster  and  for  a  greeting  had  ar- 
ranged a  large  perfect  eggplant  in  a  peck  basket  and  carried  it  under  his  arm  to  present  to  him  as  he 
alighted  from  the  train.  The  eggplant  lover  did  not  come,  but  a  kind  neighbor  carried  it  home  to  him 
and  he  afterward  said  to  me: 

"It's  all  right,  INIrs.  FuUerton,  I  didn't  think  the  'Squire'  could  raise  them,  but  that  was  the  best 
I  ever  ate." 

"We  had  plenty  of  bees,"  I  responded;  "they  are  an  absolute  necessity  where  eggplant  is  attempted." 

The  "bees"  remind  me  of  everyone's  query  when  they  saw  the  "weather  bureau"  (where  the  maxi- 
mum and  minimum  thermometers  are  housed).     "0,  do  you  keep  bees?" 

"Yes,  but  not  tame  ones,  we  coaxed  them  by  strong  colored  flowers.  They  come  for  them  and 
are  daily  visitors.  We  intended  having  a  hive  but  have  not  come  to  it  yet.  Still  our  honey  friends 
have  done  all  the  work  necessary,"  we  would  reply. 

For  some  time  the  children  declared,  "we  took  the  weather  out"  every  morning  when  the  ther- 
mometers were  read. 

The  "little  birthday  excursion"  (for  it  was  the  Farmer's  birthday)  numbered  94  and  we  felt  as 
though  the  good  news  would  travel  far  when  they  left  the  farm. 

I  was  showing  friends  over  the  place  and  explaining  operations  how  this  crop  was  the  second  on 
that  ground,  that,  the  third;  explaining  how  it  was  all  done  with  no  commercial  fertilizer  and  but 
little  help.  We  came  to  the  dairy  where  we  met  an  old  man  who  had  preceded  us;  he  was  returning 
from  reviewing  the  fodder  corn,  and  I  said: 

"Well,  what  do  you  think  of  it?"     And  of  course  I  was  swelling  with  pride. 

"Humph!"  he  replied.  "I  don't  think  much  of  that  there  corn;  it  ain't  got  no  ears."  And  as 
he  was  referring  to  sorghum,  I  could  but  Be  amused,  as  sorghum  bears  its  seeds  on  its  tassel. 

"This  here's  that  there  new  thing  they  call  alfalfy,  ain't  it?"  he  asked. 

"No,  sir,"  I  replied,  "that  is  Japanese  millet;   but  this  is  alfalfa,"  as  I  showed  it  to  him. 

"Japanese  millet!  We  didn't  raise  them  new  f angled  things  in  my  day.  I  suppose  you  think 
this  here  corn  is  good  too,  but  it  ain't  got  no  ears  neither,"  he  said. 

"But  that's  not  corn,"  I  remonstrated,  "it's  teosinte,  a  grass,  and  comes  from  Mexico." 

But  "a  man  convinced  against  his  will  is  of  the  same  opinion  still,"  and  he  went  away  muttering 
to  himself. 

Our  other  guests  were  fully  satisfied  that  no  one  had  drawn  the  "long  bow"  in  regard  to  the  crops, 
and  fresh  vegetables  from  Experimental  Station  No.  1  became  very  popular  in  Huntington  after  that. 

Our  visitors  drove  to  the  beautiful  Sound  beach,  (it  should  be  famous  as  it  belongs  to  the  village 
of  Wading  River)  where  they  ate  their  picnic  dinners,  and  on  returning  to  the  train,  found  the  car  decked 
with  armsful  of  exquisite  gladioli,  a  gift  from  Wading  River's  famous  grower  of  this  gorgeous  flower. 

Ted  had  been  mowing  millet  all  day.  It  fell  in  a  golden  wake  behind  the  scythe,  making  as  pretty 
a  picture  as  one  could  wish  to  see.  What  satisfies  us  to  the  very  core  of  our  beings  more  than  the  harvest? 
Nothing. 

Spinach  planted  where  the  early  potatoes  came  out  was  up  in  7  days  and  immediately  irrigated 
to  hasten  its  growth. 

The  secret  of  all  leaf  crops  is  the  rapidity  with  which  they  grow  and  nothing  can  further  them  more 
than  water  coupled  with  cultivation.  Endive  needed  a  little  of  this  medicine,  the  sprayers  were  turned 
into  this  field. 

Young  carrots  were  somewhat  in  demand  in  the  market  in  mid-August,  so  we  decided  to  dig  all 
of  the  early  planting  and  ship  thtm.  The  second  planting  was  by  this  time  providing  for  home  hampers. 
John  took  the  wheelbarrow  and  fork  and  went  out  to  the  field,  he  soon  returned  with  the  barrow  full  to 
overflowing.  A  second,  a  third,  and  a  fourth  came  by  and  it  seemed  as  though  there  could  not  be  so- 
many  carrots  in  all  the  world.  They  were  taken  to  the  packing  shed,  which,  by  the  way,  was  a  very 
quickly  improvised  affair.  Time  did  not  give  us  a  chance  to  build  an  ideal  one,  so  a  strip  of  quarter-inch 
mesh  galvanized  wire  was  tacked  to  the  rear  of  the  barn,  stretched  out  to  the  north  and  fastened  to  some 
stakes  driven  into  the  ground.  The  wire  was  turned  up  at  the  edges  and  allowed  to  sag  slightly  in  the 
center;  this  admitted  of  a  good  many  vegetables  being  placed  in  it  at  once,  while  the  spray  from  the 
hose  of  course  ran  right  through.  As  a  protection  from  the  drip  underneath  some  old  boards  were 
placed  in  front  of  the  drain;  a  table  made  of  old  boards  (some  second-hand  stuff  left  from  the  barn) 
laid  upon  boxes,  made  the  packing  table,  while  an  old  sail  cloth  fastened  up  among  the  trees  with  rope 
made  good  enough  shade. 

Mike  washed  and  John  bunched.  They  were  sorted  into  two  sizes  and  piled  upon  the  table.  Young 
carrots  are  sold  with  the  leaves  on,  and  nothing  could  have  been  prettier  than  that  table  ladened  with 
orange  and  green.  Three  hundred  and  thirty-five  bunches,  12  carrots  to  a  bunch,  was  the  final  count; 
while  added  to  that  173  bunches  of  pink,  white,  yellow,  and  black  radishes  made  a  fair  shipment  of  root 
crops  for  one  day. 

This  plot  of  carrots  covered  a  space  of  ground  46  by  67  feet  and  yielded,  all  told,  485  bunches,  or 
5,820  perfect  carrots. 

I  think  August  22d  a  good  representative  day  of  work  at  this  season.  I  give  it  to  you  straight  from 
the  diary:  "Ted  finished  cultivating  celery  and  celeriac  (we  also  put  some  Bonora,  which  had  been  sent  us. 
by  a  good  friend  with  an  earnest  petition  that  we  try  it,  upon  the  celer>')  in  dynamite  swale,  weeded  and 
cultivated  all  berries,  Udo  and  peanuts.  Mike  and  Pedro  limed  the  patches  where  early  cabbage,  kale, 
and  kohl-rabi  had  come  out,  sowing  400  pounds.  They  also  sowed  450  pounds  Canada  wood  ashes 
on  the  alfalfa,  and  600  pounds  old  rotted  manure  on  the  southwest  and  southeast  quarters  (these  quarters 
had  given  the  smallest  yield),  Pedro  and  Martin  picked  tomatoes  for  2  hours,  Tony  all  day  sprajang. 
cauliflowers,  cabbage,  and  sprouts  with  bordeaux  and  paris  green. 

.'54 


lliaii    Asparagus 


Whitloof  Chicory  of  Barbe-de-Capuchin — Tlir  F.tiuous   Sahi.l 


-^ 


\'cintiaii    S.iua-h  — Finest   <n"   all    .Siiiiashe; 


J><^tr4^ 


"Sorted,  washed,  and  packed  12  crates  tomatoes  (1,200),  3  barrels  corn  (650  ears),  1  crate  corn 
(72  ears),  1  basket  summer  squash  (36),  1  basket  of  cucumbers  (60). 

"John  finished  making  crates.  Ted  cleared  out  the  barn  and  stacked  empty  crates  over  the  shower 
bath-room. 

"John  and  Mike  picked  and  packed  the  corn  in  2  hours;  ^brought  in  2  bushels  and  1  wheelbarrow 
load  of  squash  in  40  minutes." 

I  might  insert  here  the  "crate  incident."  On  July  17th  a  half  carload  of  packages  in  "knock  down" 
shape  arrived,  they  were  stacked  up  by  the  barn  and  everyone  except  Mike  exclaimed : 

"Where  do  you  intend  to  store  them  all  winter;  they  will  last  a  couple  of  years." 

"0  no,  Mr.  Fuller',  you  need  more  than  him  this  year,"  Mike  said,  "I  know  you  wait  till  cabbage 
and  Bruss'  sprout'  ready." 

"Why,  Mike,  we'll  never  fill  those  in  the  world,"  I  said. 

"You  wait  see,  Mes  Fuller'." 

He  was  right,  many  a  message  has  gone  forth  this  summer  "for  goodness  sake  rush  packages  as 
much  as  you  can,  crops  are  spoiling  for  want  of  them."     But  many  barrels  alas,  are  lying  empty! 

Kale  had  been  shipped  2  days  previously,  the  plot  31  by  39  feet,  yielded  355  heads,  the  last  shipment 
filling  3  barrels.  The  kohl-rabi,  from  seed  from  North  China,  yielded  144  roots  and  the  space  occupied 
by  them  after  being  set  out  was  31  by  14  feet.  These  "rabis"  differed  in  no  way  from  the  kind  usually 
raised  here  as  far  as  we  could  see. 

l  The  night  of  the  22d  it  stormed,  so  the  Italians  were  sent  over  the  cabbage,  cauliflower,  and  sprouts 
again  the  next  day.  In  fact  it  seemed  that  a  spraying  day  was  invariably  followed  by  rain.  There  were 
times  when  "Fullerton  luck"  did  not  hold  good. 

Endive  was  tied  up  when  thoroughly  dry,  this  must  never  be  done  when  the  plants  are  damp  for  it  is 
intensely  susceptible  to  rot.  The  field  was  the  quaintest  "Dutchest"  thing  imaginable  when  the  men 
were  through. 

"Fullerton  luck"  brought  a  thunder  storm  the  next  night  so  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  spray 
again  the  following  day.  We  w  ent  to  the  field  in  the  early  morning  as  was  our  habit  and  the  sight  that 
met  us  was  enough  to  make  the  heart  sick,  leaves  turned  black  and  yellow  with  blight  insects  so  thick  they 
positively  looked  crowded.  ■/ 

"What  shall  we  do?"  we  exclaimed,  "the  pride  of  our  hearts  and  the  portion  to  bring  in  the  greatest 
returns  going  before  our  eyes!     It  surely  cannot  be  our  fault,  or  from  any  neglect." 

"Mes  Fuller',"  said  Mike,  "about  every  5  year,  the  cauliflower  he  go  so,  you  can't  save  him,  I  know, 
I  grow  him  many  year." 

"Should  we  have  sprayed  more  Mike?"     I  asked. 

"Mah  gah,  Mes  Fuller'  we  pass  this  field  about  8  times  already  and  2  times  be  enough.  This  year, 
you  can't  help  him,"  he  replied. 

"Well,  if  this  is  the  year  we  have  him  for  fair,"  said  the  Senior  Partner.  "Mike,  tell  Tony  to  go 
over  again,  this  time  dust  on  tobacco  dust  and  slug  shot  mixed  half  and  half.  Then  let  Martin  and  Pedro 
pick  all  infected  leaves  and  the  entire  plant,  where  they  are  bad,  and  bring  them  up  to  the  barn  to  be 
burned.     We'll  save  the  balance  of  them  if  we  can." 

The  plants  and  leaves  were  taken  to  the  barn  plot,  but  we  could  not  burn  them  green  and  considered 
them  too  dangerous  to  leave  imtil  dry. 

"Mike,  tell  the  Italians  to  dig  a  hole  here  and  bury  that  stuff,"  said  the  farmer.  He  watched  opera- 
tions closely  and  when  they  had  tossed  in  a  good  layer  of  leaves  he  had  them  spread  it  thick  with  lime, 
another  layer  of  leaves,  again  hme,  until  all  were  safely  interred.  I  have  no  doubt  that  will  be  a  rich 
spot  next  year. 

Eleven  times  those  fields  were  "passed"  and  there  is  nothing  to  show  for  it.  Not  a  cauliflower 
and  but  few  perfect  cabbages  and  it  is  doubtful  if  we  get  any  sprouts.  The  latter  are  set  and  hard  and 
the  plants  are  laden,  but  the  louse  has  discolored  them  so  badly  they  would  not  pay  for  the  picking. 
The  plants  average  1  quart  of  sprouts  each  and  as  there  were  5,211  plants  set  out,  the  loss  can  be  safely 
estimated  at  5,000  quarts.  During  mid-winter  these  bring  from  12  to  30  cents  a  quart.  I  guess  I 
won't  figure  what  we  might  have  made  for  there  is  no  use  crying  over  spilled  milk  and  we  have  not  trusted 
all  the  eggs  to  one  basket;  a  diversity  of  crops  is  deep  wisdom  for  those  who  deal  with  Dame  Nature  at 
first  hand.  Man  as  yet  cannot  foretell  the  season's  wet  or  dry  characteristics,  therefore  it  is  most  unwise 
to  rely  on  one  species  alone,  a  season  fatal  to  one  vegetable  assures  a  phenomenal  yield  of  another.  Our 
only  consolation,  if  consolation  it  can  be  called,  is  that  all  experts  and  old  farmers  have  suffered  the  same 
loss  this  season. 

"What  is  the  cause?"  I  asked  one  visitor  from  the  east  end  of  the  Island,  who  always  has  a  large 
acreage  of  these  special  crops. 

"Why  that  damp  warm  weather  started  the  rot,"  he  replied,  "and  then  I  think  last  winter  was  so 
warm  and  open  all  the  bugs  lived  through  and  we  have  a  particularly  choice  assortment  this  season." 

"Well,  it's  thoroughly  discouraging,"  I  said,  "to  work  so  hard  and  have  the  crop  come  almost 
to  maturity  and  then  die  before  your  very  eyes,  while  you  are  powerless  to  save  it." 

"Yes!  Yes!  It  certainly  is,"  was  his  rejoinder,  but  he  said  it  in  a  way  that  showed  it  was  not 
the  first  time  he  had  met  such  defeat. 

The  spinach  was  given  a  good  dose  of  liquid  manure  as  a  tonic  at  this  trying  season  of  the  year 
and  it  later  amply  repaid  the  labor. 

The  tomatoes  had  received  their  last  cultivation  July  10th  and  crimson  clover  was  broadcasted 
and  harrow-ed  in.  It  came  up  in  4  days  and  by  mid-August  the  field  was  a  mat  of  green,  while  the 
four-leaved  ones  among  it  were  Hope's  delight.  Many  a  day  she  has  come  in  with  16  fours,  a  goodly 
number  of  fives  and  sometimes  a  six-leaf. 

Clover  was  now  sowed  wherever  a  crop  came  out,  the  early  cabbage  patch  received  it  August  27th, 
while  early  September  showed  many  other  patches  covered  with  either  this  or  vetch  or  sainfoin,  or 
alsike.     Manure,  lime,  and  ashes  were  spread  and  cultivated  in  before  these  nitrogen  gatherers  were 

57 


sown,  for  they  will  be  allowed  to  remain  all  winter  and  turned  under  for  green  manure  next  spring. 
It  takes  but  little  time  and  costs  but  little  money  to  sow  these  crops  and  they  render  untold  good  to  the 
soil. 

By  the  30th  endive  was  ready  to  gather.  Those  that  had  been  tied  (and  they  must  be  well  grown 
before  tymg)  were  out,  the  raffia  removed  and  thoroughly  washed.  The  hearts  were  blanched  as  prettily 
as  could  be  and  thirteen  bushel  baskets  were  made  ready  for  morning  shipment.  All  things  that  left 
the  farm  in  the  morning  were  picked  the  night  before,  sprayed  and  allowed  to  remain  out  in  the  night 
air  unpacked  until  morning.  The  consequence  was  such  things  as  lettuce,  endive,  and  spinach  were 
as  crisp  as  possible,  for  these  plants  wilt  immediately  after  picking,  but  quickly  revive  if  watered  and 
placed  in  the  shade. 

When  the  returns  came  from  the  commission  merchant  they  read — "baskets  of  chicory." 

"Well,  if  the  big  New  York  dealers  don't  know  endive  from  chicory,  don't  lets  grow  it  any  more," 
I  said. 

"I  guess  we  have  other  things  to  do,"  replied  the  Farmer,  "Let's  try  romaine  and  escarole  next 
year,  just  a  little  to  see  if  they  know  what  that  is,  they  are  easier  to  grow  than  endive  because  they  need 
no  tying." 

The  last  day  of  August,  our  last  at  the  farm!  To-morrow  would  see  a  new  era,  for  we  must  return 
to  the  dear  old  home  to  get  ready  for  school  days.  John  had  become  converted  to  market-gardening 
and  he  had  bought  himself  8  acres  of  land  and  went  to  prepare  it  for  spring  work,  while  Mike  moved 
his  entire  family  to  No.  1  to  remain  for  the  rest  of  the  winter. 

A  Western  visitor  gave  us  a  feeling  of  satisfaction.  There  arrived  in  the  afternoon  a  gentleman 
from  Indiana,  a  total  stranger,  who  said  he  had  heard  of  the  Station  and  would  like,  with  our  permission 
to  look  over  it. 

"Mr.  Micklejohn,"  for  the  farmer  was  still  pretty  lame,  made  him  welcome  and  escorted  him  on 
a  tour  of  inspection. 

"Well,"  said  our  visitor,  "I'll  tell  you,  Air.  Fullerton,  I've  been  traveling  for  a  year  and  a  half  to 
find  just  the  place  I  want  for  a  farm.  I  started  in  Texas  and  I  have  been  to  every  State  Experimental 
Station  in  the  Union  and  this  beats  anything  I  have  ever  seen.  It  is  the  most  practical,  the  best  looking 
and  the  most  educational  of  any,  and  I  don't  see  how  you  have  done  it  in  a  year." 

"It's  the  soil.  Old  Man,"  (all  Westerners  call  each  other  Old  Man,  it  seems  to  give  them  great 
satisfaction)  "soil  and  climate,  you  can't  beat  it!"  said  the  farmer.  "Come  down  in  the  cellar  and  see 
what  we  have,"  and  he  showed  him  the  now  famous  cellar  wall  giving  the  strata  of  the  earth's  construc- 
tion. 

"This  suits  me,"  he  said,  "my  weary  search  is  over.  But  there  is  something  more  here  than  soil 
in  which  to  grow  vegetables,  your  island  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  places  I  have  ever  seen,  the  un- 
expected views  and  beauty  spots  make  it  a  continual  surprise.  Why,  those  lakes  just  to  the  south  of 
you  are  gems,  and  the  eyes  of  man  have  hardly  rested  upon  them,  I  suppose." 

"Right  you  are,  and  there  are  200,000  acres  of  this  virgin  soil  lying  idle  just  waiting  for  a  helping 
hand  to  give  New  York  its  fresh  food." 

"Well,  I'll  make  a  prophecy,  it  won't  be  many  years  before  there  is  precious  little  of  it  lying  idle, 
and  I,  for  one,  am  going  in  to  help  you.  I  want  a  good  big  farm  and  I'm  going  to  buy  it  next  week," 
he  said.  "By  the  way,  I  hear  you  have  another  Station  at  Medford,  what  do  you  think  of  that  section, 
soil's  pretty  light,  isn't  it?" 

"Lighter  than  this,"  replied  the  Senior  Partner,  "but  deeper.  The  surface  is  drifted  over  with 
white  sea-sand  and  we  supposed  we  would  find  soil  a  foot  and  a  half  at  the  deepest.  When  they  were 
clearing  they  dug  a  cellar  under  a  shack,  in  which  to  store  dynamite,  and  we  found  the  soil  four  feet 
deep.  You  could  have  knocked  me  down  with  a  feather,  for  no  one  is  more  enthusiastic  about  the  Island 
than  I,  but  I  never  supposed  there  was  four  feet  of  good  soil  in  that  section." 

"Well,  it  only  goes  to  show  mighty  few  people  know  much  about  the  land  they  live  in,"  he  said. 
"May  I  bring  some  friends  in  a  few  days  to  see  the  place,  they  will  think  I  have  lost  my  head  when  I 
tell  them  about  it,  so  I  want  to  show  it  to  them?" 

"Sure  thing!  bring  as  many  as  you  want  and  come  as  often  as  you  wish,  and  stay  as  long  as  you 
like.     Always  glad  to  see  you,"  was  the  rejoinder. 

Dynamiter  Kissam  had  been  called  away,  so  that  but  one  acre  of  the  dairy  had  been  cleared,  he 
was  to  return  when  he  could  and  finish  the  piece  for  we  were  anxious  to  get  rye  in  this  fall. 


59 


Our  "Biggest  Girl"  and  Japan's  Biggest  Radish 


Autu 


mn 


THE  first  of  September  saw  the  children  and  myself  off  to  Pennsylvania  for  a  few  days.     They 
had  been  , "good  as  pie"  all  summer  and  often  when  father  and  mother  were  too  burdened  to 
be  pleasant  they  had  had  dull  times.     Rides  were  their  great  joy  and  they  always  went  to  the 
depot  with  shipments;  but  companionship  of  their  age  was  lacking  and  it  was  time  they  had  a 
'vacation."     Such  a  glorious  one  they  had  with  a  bunch  of  cousins;  pillow  fights,  early  morning  squeals, 
romps,  and  picnics. 

With  the  aid  of  records  kept  at  various  times  by  the  stenographer,  Mike,  Walter,  and  Martha 
(Mike's  eldest  daughter},  I  give  you  the  fall  work. 

Sunday,  the  2d,  records  the  picking  of  the  first  melon,  a  Long  Island  beauty.  The  Italians  were 
pressed  into  service  more  now,  for  John's  going  left  a  hole  in  the  force.  Tomatoes  were  coming  thicker 
than  ever  and  I  remember  asking  Mike  on  my  return  from  a  day's  visit: 

"Any  tomatoes  yet,  Mike?" 

"My  gah,  yes.  Miss  Fuller',  we  ship  41  crates  this  morning." 

"Forty-one  crates!     Goodness,  that  must  have  been  some  tomatoes,  how  many  culls?" 

"Eight  bushel,  I  give  'em  to  section  hands  and  train  crews,  they  like  'em,"  he  answered. 

No  wonder  the  diary  records  "two  Italians  picking  tomatoes  one-half  day." 

Sugar  corn  that  had  been  gathered  was  cut  and  stacked  and  the  land  prepared  for  a  legume.  Barrels 
had  to  be  unloaded  and  stacked,  for  we  still  had  hopes  of  gathering  some  cabbage  and  cauliflower,  while 
sweet  potatoes  held  out  the  promise  of  an  abundant  yield. 

More  endive  was  ready  for  shipment  on  the  6th  and  the  diary  records:  "Washed  and  picked  6 
barrels  of  cabbage,  11  bushels  of  endive,  also  some  carrots  and  beets." 

Tony  showing  the  greatest  aptitude  for  market-gardening,  was  given  the  more  particular  work  and 
he  soon  took  John's  place  in  helping  Mike  with  the  packing.  Walter,  the  boy,  had  become  quite  pro- 
ficient in  many  ways,  and  for  a  lad  of  14  shows  good  signs  of  a  budding  farmer. 

On  the  6th  the  Assistant  United  States  Agrostologist  visited  the  farm  to  see  the  alfalfa.  As  a 
test  had  been  made  for  the  Government  at  their  special  request,  they  were  naturally  much  interested. 

•■His  verdict  coincided  with  others  already  given  and  he  further  said  upon  examining  the  roots  and 
seeing  the  nitrogen  nodules,  that  Long  Island  virgin  soil  must  contain  the  needed  bacteria,  for  the  largest 
nodules  found  were  on  the  uninoculated  section.  That  the  bacteria  was  at  home  and  at  work  in  all 
sections  he  felt  was  true  without  a  doubt,  and  he  further  predicted  that  "next  year  you  will  not  be  able 
to  tell  one  quarter  from  another." 

The  10th  records  the  shipment  of  5  crates  of  melons,  and  from  that  time  on  we  could  not  compete 
with  the  field,  the  yield  was  too  great.     The  prophecy  held  for  them  came  true,  they  were  not  as  sweet 


as  we  had  hoped,  but  like  cauliflower  this  was  an  off  year,  entirely  too  wet  and  really  good  melons  were 
as  "scarce  as  hen's  teeth."     I  give  you  here  a  letter  to  Mr.  Peters  on  the  subject: 

"Wading  River,   Long  Island,   N.   Y., 

•■September    10th,    1906. 
"Mr.  Ralph  Peters,   I'les.,  Long  Island  City. 

"Dear  Sir: — The  weather,  which  sent  the  thermometer  down  to  forty  and  even  a  trifle  helow  night  after 
night,  held  up  our  melons  and  further  weakened  the  vitality  of  the  vines  to  a  marked  extent.  The  striped  beetle, 
which  has  been  our  hardest  nut  to  crack,  true  to  the  usual  procedure,  appeared  late  in  August  in  immense  num- 
bers. This  was  a  time  when  he  could  only  be  fought  with  severe  damage,  not  only  to  the  vines  but  the  melons 
themselves,  and  in  spite  of  the  greatest  of  care  and  most  thorough  work  they  succeeded  in  laying  eggs  in  great 
quantities.  The  beetle  itself  and  its  'maggot'  not  only  attacks  the  vines,  but  it  attacks  the  melons  themselves 
as  it  does  cucumbers  and  squashes.  While  they  are  seldom  able  to  injure,  or,  in  fact,  penetrate  the  interior, 
they  certainly  spoil  the  appearance  of  the  melon  and  in  many  cases  where  they  happen  to  work  close  to  the 
juncture  of  the  vino,  they  partly  cut  off  the  sustenance  supply  and  check  growth  and  ripening  considerably. 
We  have  a  big  lot  of  melons  of  excellent  quality,  but  they  do  not  look  right.  I  went  into  the  city  on  Thursday 
afternoon.  Friday,  and  Saturday,  and  found  that,  without  exception,  both  .Jersey  and  Southern  melons  had  been 
attacked  in  exactly  the  same  way  as  melons  on  No.  1.  I  also  found  that  Rocky  Fords  were  coming  in  with 
mutilated  skin  coverings.  At  the  Delaware  Water  (lap,  when  I  went  to  bring  home  my  family,  I  found  exactly 
the  same  state  of  affairs  existing  with  every  melon  I  could  discover.  A  few  of  them  were  native,  most  of  them 
were  coming  from  Jersey,  Colorado,  and  the  South.  Nevertheless,  in  spite  of  the  scientific  explanation  that  there 
are  certain  seasons  when  the  natural  enemy  of  our  insect  pests  are  entirely  absent,  or  present  in  numbers  so 
small  that  they  do  not  exert  any  apparent  influence  and  man  alone  cannot  cope  with  them,  we  have  no  hesitancy 
in  saying  that  we  will  prevent  this  marking  another  year  and  base  this  egotistic  statement  on  the  results  of  our 
experiments,  which,  although  started  late  in  the  season,  will  show  conclusively  that  the  aftermath  of  the  striped 
beetle  need  not  be  feared  if  tobacco  is  used  freely,  particularly,  about  the  melon  hills,  etc. 

"Yours  truly, 

"II.  B.  FULLERTON, 

"Special  Agent." 

On  the  11th  "we  two"  went  to  the  farm  for  the  night,  for  the  following  day  we  were  to  receive  a 
delegation  of  dairymen  to  view  the  farm's  successes  and  failures. 

For  their  benefit  we  placed  upon  the  porch  a  bale  of  alfalfa  and  a  bunch  of  plants  (roots  and  all) 
from  each  quarter  section.  They  seemed  wonderfully  pleased  with  the  successes  attained  and  one  of 
them  upon  examining  the  root  nodules,  said: 

'May  I  take  some  of  these  home  with  me?  We  have  tried  for  3  years  to  raise  alfalfa  at  our  dairj- 
and  we  cannot  get  a  nodule  or  get  the  plant  to  live  over  winter.  It  is  a  remarkable  showing  this  section 
has  made  and  I  congratulate  you  most  heartily." 

No  less  interesting  to  them  were  the  other  fodder  crops  and  they  were  as  surprised  at  the  Virginia 
horse  tooth  as  any  one  else  had  been.  By  this  time  it  had  grown  to  15K  feet,  with  the  ears,  7  and  8 
feet  from  the  ground. 

A  G-footer  stood  among  it  holding  an  umbrella  in  his  upstretched  hand  and  the  tip  of  the  umbrella 
could  not  touch  the  tassel. 

The  Suffolk  County  Fair  opened  on  the  17th  and  much  time  was  consumed  in  making  ready.  A 
little  portable  house,  the  same  size  as  the  one  we  had  been  living  in,  was  erected  on  the  fair  grounds,  and 
for  some  time  we  had  been  preparing  and  framing  photographs  of  the  farm's  development,  to  hang  upon 
the  walls.  Sunday,  the  16th,  took  us  all  to  the  farm  again,  giving  to  the  children  a  good  treat,  for  they 
really  had  grown  very  fond  of  the  place,  and  to  us  another  busy  Sunday. 

Being  "Suffolk  Countyites"  we  are  allowed  to  enter  vegetables  for  competition  and  strange  to 
relate,  the  yearling  farm  won  11  first  prizes,  6  seconds,  and  an  honorary  mention.  The  portable  had  its 
miniature  sign  by  the  front  door  flanked  by  teosinte  and  backed  by  Virginia  horse  tooth,  the  interior 
had  one  room  finished  as  a  bed-room,  while  the  others  had  tables  loaded  down  with  vegetables  of  various 
sorts.  There  was  a  goodly  showing  for  the  time  of  year,  lettuce,  endive,  summer  and  spring  radishes, 
beets,  onions,  carrots,  parsnips,  salsify,  beans,  sugar  corn,  tomatoes,  squash,  marrow,  cantaloupes, 
watermelons,  mangels,  sugar  beets,  pe-tsai,  and  sakurajima,  potatoes,  sweet  and  white,  cabbage,  sprouts, 
and  peanuts,  alfalfa,  millet,  corn,  sorghum,  and  teosinte. 

The  little  cottage  was  crowded  with  visitors  every  day,  some  from  curiosity,  some  from  real  interest, 
many  came  back  a  second  and  third  time,  becoming  so  absorbed  in  the  subject  we  would  often  talk  for 
hours. 

"These  are  scrub  oak  vegetables,  raised  in  one  year  without  the  use  of  commercial  fertilizer,"  we 
would  say. 

"Oh,  I  don't  know  about  that,"  would  come  the  rejoinder. 

"Then  I'll  tell  you,"  and  the  whole  story  of  the  farm's  history  would  be  repeated.  No  one  who 
heard  or  saw  it  as  I  have  tried  to  rel  te  it  in  these  pages,  but  saw  the  logic  in  the  venture,  and  many  an 
agriculturist  had  new  heart  put  into  him  from  the  long  chat,  while  without  a  doubt  we  received  as  good 
as  we  gave. 

They  contended,  those  who  had  not  farmed,  that  10  tons  of  manure  to  the  acre  was  "a  heap  of 
fertilizer."  I  would  like  to  quote  here  from  the  American  Agriculturist  of  recent  date.  The  extract  is 
from  an  article  on  rais'ng  melons  in  another  state  and  the  quantities  used  are  for  1  acre. 

"In  the  fall  is  spread  20  tons  of  stable  manure  free  of  stalks  and  straw  (this  would  equal  30  to  40 
tons  of  ordinary  manure). 

||One  thousand  pounds  high  grade  Carolina  phosphate  rock. 

"Three  hundred  pounds  high  grade  sulphate  of  potash. 

"This  is  harrowed  in  and  1  sow  12  to  15  quarts  of  crimson  clover  to  be  plowed  under  in  April.  I 
then  sow  1,000  pounds  complete  fertilizer  (formula,  2%  nitrogen,4%  phosphoric  acid,  and  10%  potash)." 

This  surely  dwarfs  10  tons  strawy  manure  into  insignificance. 
_    The  second  moming  of  the  fair,  a  carriage  full  of  visitors  drove  up  to  the  door  and  an  east-end 
neighbor,  who  had  visited  the  farm  in  the  early  summer  alighted,  bearing  several  large  bouquets  of  asters 
and  dahlias.     He  brought  them  with  the  thought  they  might  help  brighten  our  exhibit.     In  reality  they 
were  a  peace  offering.     I  relate  the  incident  as  one  which  to  us  was  full  of  glee. 

63 


During  his  visit  to  the  farm  he  espied  the  newly  set  out  celery  plants. 

"Your  farm's  all  right,  Mr.  Fullerton,  but  what  did  you  plant  that  for?" 

"Celery?     Why  not?"  said  the  Senior  Partner. 

"Why  not?     Because  you  can't  raise  it  here  and  there's  no  use  trying,"  he  replied. 

"Do  you  raise  celery?"     asked  the  Book  Farmer. 

"Um!"  as  our  guest  nodded  his  head. 

"Exhibit  at  the  Riverhead  Fair?" 

"Um!"  again  as  he  acquiesced. 

"Well,  so  do  we,  and  if  you  win  a  prize  this  year  you'll  know  it,  for  you'll  have  to  work  overtime." 

A  smile  broke  over  his  face  and  he  clapped  the  "gude  mon"  on  the  shoulder,  saying: 

"Fullerton,  you  think  the  Island  will  grow  anything  under  the  sun,  don't  you?"  But  his  expression 
said,  "He's  an  enthusiastic  youngster  (the  said  'gude  mon'  being  some  years  his  senior)  but  he'll  get 
over  it." 

We  exhibited  celery  at  the  fair  and  won  second  prize.     Therefore  the  flowers. 

One  afternoon  I  was  standing  in  the  bedroom  door  tired  from  the  day's  exertions  (the  Senior  Partner 
was  away  that  day  holding  another  exhibit  at  an  agricultural  gathering).  The  house  was  crowded 
with  visitors,  among  them  some  Irishmen. 

One  large,  portly  man  said:   "Och,  come  on  out,  they  know  what  to  put  in  their  fields." 

"What  did  we  put  on  the  fields?"  I  flared  up,  supposing,  of  course,  that  he  referred  to  a  high- 
priced  fertilizer. 

"Shure  an'  didn't  they  have  you  in  the  fields!     Sure,  I'd  worruk  meself  if  you  was  out  there!" 

I  blush  to  tell  the  story,  but  it  is  too  good  to  keep,  that  was  the  time  my  zeal  for  the  farm  got  me 
into  hot  water. 

In  our  beloved  home  town,  the  Horticultural  and  Agricultural  Association  held  an  exhibition  and 
they  particularly  requested  a  showing  from  the  farm,  sending  us  entry  blanks  for  competition.  We  were 
glad  to  help  and  filled  out  the  blanks  with  20  entries.  As  this  took  place  during  the  Riverhead  Fair 
week,  the  Senior  Partner  left  me  late  one  evening,  drove  the  12  miles  to  the  farm,  gathered  and  packed 
crops  all  night  and  took  them  in  to  the  exhibition  the  next  morning. 

The  farm's  showing  was  as  pretty  as  could  be,  its  greatest  attraction  in  one  sense  being  a  basket 
of  dainty  miniature  vegetables  from  the  children's  garden.  Their  plantings  had  been  made  very  late 
and  in  the  shade  which  tended  to  dwarf  them,  but  under  the  circumstances  seemed  very  apropos;  as  at 
other  exhibitions  people  wondered  whether  the  corn  was  not  spliced,  while  the  high  quality  coupled  with 
the  extensive  variety  attracted  much  attention. 

When  the  Farmer  returned  to  Riverhead  I  eagerly  asked  the  news,  meaning,  of  course,  what  prizes 
had  we  won. 

"Nothing  doing,"  he  said,  "they  seemed  to  think  it  was  honor  enough  to  be  allowed  to  exhibit 
50  varieties  and  would  not  allow  our  stuff  in  competition.  I  guess  the  next  time  I  'help  out'  I'll  think 
twice  before  I  work  all  night  doing  it." 

"That  hurts,"  I  replied.  "If  it  were  outsiders  we  could  speak  our  mind,  but  that  touches  the 
quick." 

At  the  Mineola  Fair  where  the  exhibit  looked  even  prettier  than  at  Riverhead,  the  Senior  Partner 
had  an  odd  experience. 

A  gentleman  came  in  and  said,  "How  are  you  Mr.  Fullerton;   I've  been  looking  for  you  and  asked 

a  man  if  he  could  tell  me  where  to  find  your  exhibit.     'There's  the  whole  d humbug  over  there,' 

he  said,  so  here  I  am." 

"Where's  the  man,"  said  the  Railroad  Farmer,  "and  what's  the  matter  with  him?" 

"He's  outside  now  looking  at  that  corn  to  see  where  it's  spliced.  He  says  you  didn't  raise  the 
things  and  if  you  did  you  had  five  tons  of  commercial  fertilizer  to  the  acre,"  replied  the  visitor. 

The  Senior  Partner  stumped  out  under  full  head  of  steam  and  the  following  wafted  in  the  window: 

"Howdy,  neighbor!  Hear  you  don't  believe  we  raised  this  stuff  without  commercial  fertilizer. 
I'll  tell  you  what  I'll  do.  I'll  give  you  $1,000  for  every  ton  we  used  on  every  acre  of  the  ten,  and  if 
you  don't  think  my  personal  check  is  good,  I'm  sure  President  Peters  will  be  glad  to  back  me;  in  fact, 
I'm  not  sure  but  he'll  raise  it  a  $1,000  or  so  for  every  ton  we  used  and  I  mean  it,"  he  reiterated.  "At 
your  figures  that  would  be  $50,000  sure  money,  at  least,  and  you  had  better  start  in  at  ones.  Here's 
the  name  of  the  man  we  bought  everything  from  in  the  way  of  fertilizer,  that  will  start  you  right  and 
quick." 

The  stranger  had  nothing  more  to  say,  but  left  the  exhibit  at  once  and  I  doubt  very  much  if  he 
is  hunting  for  the  fertilizer. 

Among  our  visitors  at  the  latter  fair  were  many  market  gardeners  (all  of  whom  were  most  com- 
plimentary about  the  produce  and  felt  the  Experimental  Station  had  done  them  a  personal  favor  in 
opening  up  a  territory  that  had  so  long  been  looked  upon  as  valueless  and  not  even  considered.  Many 
of  them  were  forced  to  give  up  their  farms  near  the  city,  as  price  of  land  and  taxation  was  too  high  to 
compete  with  longer,  and  big  figures  were  being  paid  for  their  acres.  They  now  felt  a  promised  land 
was  open  and  they  would  come  out  into  "Suffolk." 

Many  of  our  vegetables  at  the  fairs  proved  tempting,  especially  the  black  radishes  to  the  Germans, 
while  a  pile  of  very  large  sweet  potatoes  near  a  door  disappeared  mysteriously.  One  portly  lady  was 
seen  walking  across  the  grounds  with  a  large  yellow  potato  hugged  lovingly  against  a  black  silk  dress. 
To  quote  Kiphng,  "it  showed  up  like  a  ripe  banana  in  a  smoke  house." 

It  was  particularly  fascinating  to  watch  the  interest  shown  in  the  various  varieties.  Without  a 
doubt  the  one  bale  of  alfalfa,  together  with  the  photographs  picturing  the  work  in  the  field  from  inoculation 
of  seed  up  to  and  including  the  harvest,  caused  more  comment  than  anything  else  there.  Interest 
in  it  was  shown  by  young  and  old,  and  in  fact  the  younger  men  seemed  the  most  eager  to  know  how  to 
grow  it  successfully. 

A  lad  of  about  18  became  so  engrossed  in  it  and  the  other  farm  products,  that  he  spent  a  whole 

65 


riiorning  in  the  building;  while  a  boy  nearer  14  said,  "I'm  going  to  make  my  father  grow  that  if  I  can." 
It  well  repaid  us  the  long  days  and  incessant  talk  to  see  the  keen  awakening  of  the  budding  agriculturists. 

^Yomen,  of  course,  showed  more  interest  in  "garden  sass,"  especially  in  the  martynias,  large  radishes, 
including  the  12-pound  Sakurajima  and  the  Pe-tsai.  Kequest  after  request  was  made  for  the  names  "writ- 
ten down  so  I  won't  forget"  and  I  doubt  not  many  little  gardens  will  grow  them  next  year. 

One  gentleman  spent  much  time  over  the  exhibit,  went  away  and  returned  shortly,  with  two  com- 
panions.    They  passed  silently  around  noting  every  detail  and  finally  one  of  them  broke  forth: 

"They've  got  Jersey  beat  to  death!" 

That  was  a  draught  of  nectar  to  we  "book  farmers." 

Ted  became  indignant  many  times  a  day  at  the  remark  that  the  10-foot  corn  was  "  spliced,"  and 
would  say: 

"Even  after  they've  looked  it  all  over,  from  the  root  to  the  top  they  will  hardly  believe  it." 

The  little  stenographer,  who  is  short  and  round,  became,  after  a  brief  while,  utterly  disgusted. 

"Why,  you  can't  make  people  believe  we  grow  them  without  tons  and  tons  of  fertilizer."  She 
had  a  long  argument  with  one  man,  who  finally  said: 

"Well,  what  do  you  eat  to  make  you  so  fat?" 

And  she  replied: 

"Scrub  oak  vegetables,"  which  seemed  to  be  conclusive  proof  of  their  merit. 

The  last  day  of  the  fair  the  little  house  was  thronged  with  people  asking  for  their  favorite  vegetable, 
while  many  asked  for  peppers,  tomatoes,  melons,  and  squashes  "for  seed."  The  watermelons  were 
eagerly  sought  for,  they  were  not  very  large,  but  the  sweetness  made  up  for  lack  of  size. 

I  remember  asking  the  Senior  Partner,  when  we  were  breaking  up  the  Riverhead  exhibit: 

"Are  there  enough  melons  for  Mineola?" 

"Enough!     The  cellar  is  half  full,  Mike  don't  know  how  to  get  time  to  ship  them." 

Ted  had  been  constantly  at  the  fair  and  after  going  back  to  No.  1  to  see  the  engine  repaired  (a 
blow  hole  in  the  cylinder  had  been  causing  us  a  good  deal  of  trouble)  went  to  Experimental  Station 
No.  2,  where  a  countryman  of  his,  with  his  wife  and  little  children,  are  ensconced  in  the  portable  that 
did  service  at  the  fairs. 

As  the  weather  grew  colder  we  deemed  it  wise  to  dig  the  remainder  of  the  sweet  potatoes,  but 
Mike  begged  so  hard  to  be  allowed  to  leave  them,  saying: 

"I  save  him,  Mr.  Fuller,"  I  make  big  brush  heaps  all  around,  a  frost  come,  I  light  him,  that  save. 
I  make  brush  heaps  too  all  around  lima  beans,  after  frost  he  bring  much  money,"  that  we  allowed  him 
to  have  his  way. 

On  the  10th  the  farmer  went  to  the  farm  with  some  very  important  photographic  work  in  hand. 
He  had  scarcely  stepped  foot  upon  the  place  when,  as  he  says : 

"I  got  uneasy  and  told  Mike  to  call  the  men  in  from  the  dairy  and  pick  every  tomato,  bean,  and 
eggplant.     I  felt  we  would  have  frost  that  night." 

Mike  sat  up  until  midnight  to  watch  for  it  and  deciding  there  would  be  none  as  no  dew  was  falling, 
went  to  bed  without  lighting  the  sweet  potato  brush  fire.  Signs  failed  for  the  thermometer  fell  to  twenty- 
eight  degrees  and  potatoes  had  to  come  out  next  day.  They  were  practically  mature,  but  we  would 
like  to  have  had  a  week  longer.  The  yield  of  this  digging  was  40  bushels;  this  with  the  previous  one 
bringing  the  yield  up  to  51  bushels. 

Virginia  horse  tooth  not  only  reached  the  desired  height  of  16  feet,  but  went  2  feet  higher  and 
has  also  matured.  The  yield  in  bulk  of  forage  is  tremendous,  while  the  depth  of  kernel  and  circum- 
ference of  ear  are  remarkable.  One  of  the  prettiest  sights  on  a  farm  is  stacked  corn  when  the  yield 
is  good,  while  as  true  wigwams  for  make-believe  Indians  they  cannot  be  surpassed. 

Alfalfa  was  cut  for  the  second  time  October  12th.  The  yield  was,  of  course,  a  mere  handful  com- 
pared with  the  first  cutting,  but  the  field  has  held  to  its  reputation  even  in  this  respect,  the  second 
cuttings  totaling  207  pounds,  green. 

A  trip  over  the  fields  in  October  makes  one  feel  desolate  enough,  crops  out  or  half  out,  signs  of 
the  heavy  frost  everywhere.  The  most  peculiar  thing,  however*  is  to  find  the  field  where  we  have 
lately  removed  turnips,  thickly  dotted  with  beautiful  endive;  radishes  where  sweet  corn  has  been  cut, 
and  carrots,  peas,  beans,  and  spinach  among  the  crimson  clover.  These  plants  were  "first  crops"  on 
each  section  and  it  does  not  seem  to  matter  how  deep  the  seeds  have  been  buried,  they  all  come  up  in 
their  own  good  time. 

Thus  stands  the  farm,  but  a  year  and  a  month  old.  Proudly  does  it  raise  its  head  and  look  the 
world  in  the  face,  caUing  to  mankind  to  come  and  liberate  its  sister  acres  lying  in  idle  waste  and  un- 
productiveness, awaiting  but  the  touch  of  that  magic  wand — the  hand  of  man. 


66 


Til.'      ■■|.ittlr-( 


All-Head"    Ciibbago 


Packinij^  and  Shii)i)in^  Notes  and  Epilogue 


To  the  beginner  this  portion  of  the  business  is  fraught  with  as  much  uncertainty  as  any  other. 
The  method  of  packing  varies  materially  with  the  locality. 
We  have  been  much  interested  in  the  subject  this  season  and  find  that  if  a  package  is 
good,  and  the  principle  based  on  common  sense,  backed  by  first-class  products,  the  market 
is  glad  to  have  it. 

One  day  during  the  height  of  the  tomato  season  we  made  a  pilgrimage  among  the  markets  and 
commission  houses.  We  saw  the  same  article  packed  in  many  differing  ways,  each  with  some  feature, 
which  must  have  appealed  to  the  packer.  Lastly  we  went  to  a  commission  house  where  we  had  been 
shipping  the  farm's  surplus  and  asked  them  the  method  in  which  they  would  rather  have  us  pack  toma- 
toes. 

"Well,  Mr.  Fullerton,  I'll  tell  you,"  said  the  young  man  in  charge,  "tomatoes  usually  come  in 
what  we  call  Jersey  crates.     Here  they  are,  rather  heavy  and  hold  about  a  bushel." 

"Then  you  don't  care  for  our  package  of  six  baskets  to  the  crate,"  said  the  Senior  Partner. 

"Why,  yes,  we  are  doing  well  on  those.  Jersey  crates  are  selling  now  for  50  cents  and  we  are  get- 
ting $1.00  for  yours  right  along.  In  fact,  there  is  one  buyer  comes  here  and  won't  look  at  anything  until 
he  knows  whether  you  have  a  shipment  in.  Your  goods  are  fine  and  wc  know  tliey're  the  same  all 
through.     If  I  were  you  I'd  keep  on  packing  tomatoes  your  way." 

"I  guess  we  will,"  was  the  rejoinder. 

One  thing  is  certain,  it  pays  to  pack  your  fancy  goods  in  a  fancy  style  for  the  fancy  trade,  then 
ship  your  seconds  as  such.  Our  tomatoes,  as  I  have  said  before,  were  all  sorted,  w'hich  left  every  day 
from  3  to  8  bushels  of  seconds.  These  could  have  been  disposed  of  easily  in  a  local  market  for  a  reason- 
able price,  while  "our  fancies"  were  bringing  just  double  the  price  of  the  usual  shipment. 

The  same  holds  good  of  other  products.  Young  carrots  washed  and  bunched,  with  the  tops  left 
on  and  packed,  we  think,  either  in  crates  or  bushel  baskets,  will  bring  far  and  beyond  the  price  fully 
matured  carrots  with  the  tops  cut  off,  then  barreled.  One  package  appeals  to  the  fancy  grocer,  the 
other  to  the  wholesale  dealer. 

Some  dealers  wish  a  dozen  bunches  of  carrots  tied  together,  I  imagine  this  is  when  they  are  shipped 
by  the  barrel,  for  it  is  then  easy  to  ship  a  barrel's  contents  without  much  handling.  If,  however,  the 
carrots  are  packed  in  bushel  or  half-bushel  baskets  this  quantity  is  about  what  the  retail  dealer  would 
handle. 

The  commission  merchants  are  in  need  of  some  education  also.  When  they  calmly  call  four  distinct 
varieties  of  endive  "esgrove,"  it  shows  they  are  not  on  the  "fancy"  scrJe;  they  should  seek  the  "fancy" 
trade  when  they  have  a  shipper  who  sends  them  "fancy"  goods,  particularly  varieties  of  the  favorites 
of  foreign  climes. 

67 


It  seems  to  us  that  a  change  is  needed.  The  grower's  products  go  now  to  a  commission  merchant, 
are  sold  by  him  (between  12  and  3  a.  m.)  to  the  wholesale  dealer,  by  him  to  the  small  grocer  and  lastly 
to  the  consumer.     This  necessitates  the  following  delays  and  handlings: 

Our  products,  for  instance,  would  leave  the  farm  at  7  a.  m.  crisp,  tender  and  fresh;  that  night  at 
midnight  they  would  be  sorted  out  to  the  wholesale  dealer,  the  following  morning  he  sells  to  the  grocer 
and  by  night  the  consumer  has  it.  This  condition  is,  of  course,  much  worse  where  the  produce  is  from 
24  hours  to  a  week  in  transit  between  grower  and  dealer. 

The  day  is  shortly  to  arrive  when  all  restaurants,  hotels,  and  clubs  will  deal  directly  with  the  farmer 
giving  to  him  the  full  value  of  his  crops.     This  means  to  the  producer  a  very  large  increase  in  his  returns. 

To  the  private  consumer,  the  "Home  Hamper"  will  bring  to  the  door  absolutely  fresh  vegetables 
in  season,  unhandled.  If  you  will  stop  to  think  one  moment  what  "unhandled"  means,  you  will  be 
astounded.  "Unhandled  by  a  dozen  people,  not  having  stood  in  hot  stores,  foul  cellars,  or  along  dusty 
streets";   and  it  means  the  same  to  the  famous  steward  as  it  does  to  the  simple  housekeeper. 

The  "Home  Hamper"  means  a  mail  order  business,  and  let  me  say  here,  let  no  man,  or  woman, 
undertake  market-gardening  unless  they  distinctly  understand  it  is  a  business;  as  much  a  business  as  a 
department  store  or  a  manufactory.  This  hamper  is  delivered  in  New  York  or  Brooklyn  for  $1.50; 
exactly  the  same  price  in  mid-season,  much  less  when  vegetables  are  scarce,  than  you  would  pay  for 
the  articles  at  a  fair  green  grocer's.  To  the  housekeeper  within  the  city  limits  the  mail  order  gardener 
opens  to  her  door  through  which  she  can  bring  in  fresh  supplies  for  jellies,  jams,  preserves,  canned 
vegetables,  and  pickles,  the  exact  quantity  she  desires  fresh  from  the  garden.  To  the  gardener  who  adds 
chickens  to  his  other  products,  a  market  for  eggs  is  at  once  opened,  for  these  may  form  a  portion  of  the 
"Home  Hamper"  contents,  and  "dormant"  food  for  city  dwellers  be  reduced  to  a  minimum. 

Perishable  products,  such  as  lettuce,  endive,  spinach,  and  radishes,  should  be  picked  either  in  the 
early  morning  or  at  nightfall.  They  should  then  be  spread  in  the  shade,  thoroughly  sprinkled  and  left 
in  the  open  all  night.  These  products  wilt  instantly  when  gathered,  and  the  usual  method  is  to  take  a 
barrel  into  the  field  cut  the  crop  and  pack  it  at  once,  the  result  being  the  produce  wilts  and  heats  tre- 
mendously. Radishes  when  shipped  to  a  hotel  or  club  should  be  packed  in  crates,  which  have  had 
paraffin  paper  laid  on  each  side  and  each  end.  They  should  not  be  bunched,  which  is  a  saving  of  much 
time  to  both  parties  concerned,  and  every  radish  should  be  so  perfect  that  the  steward  may  take  up  a 
handful  and  see  that  they  may  be  served  at  once.  Is  he  willing  to  pay  a  good  price?  Of  course  he  is, 
for  it  saves  him  one  man's  time  and  brings  him  much  commendation.  Lettuce  well  washed  and  crisp, 
saves  him  further  time;  infact,  the  benefit  he  derives  is  well  worth  a  fancy  price  no  matter  what  the 
vegetable . 

Sweet  corn,  without  a  doubt,  is  the  most  difficult  product  to  get  to  market  in  its  best  condition. 
It  heats  very  fast,  while  after  a  few  hours  the  sugar  is  transformed  into  starch.  If  possible,  pick  it  in 
the  early  morning  and  ship  at  once;  if  not,  pick  the  last  thing  at  night,  spread  so  the  ears  do  not  lie  on 
one  another  and  leave  it  out  in  the  night  air,  packing  and  shipping  at  once  in  the  early  morning. 

The  Senior  Partner  says,  "A  true  corn  eat  is  where  you  pick  the  corn  after  the  water  is  boiling,"" 
but  alas  for  city  folks,  they  will  never  know  a  "true  corn  eat."  I  doubt  not  the  "Home  Hamper"  this- 
summer  has  given  them  the  nearest  to  it  they  have  ever  known. 

The  farm  has  shipped  this  summer  upward  of  100  "Home  Hampers,"  most  of  them  to  "history 
makers"  and  "critics,"  which  if  sold,  as  many  of  them  were,  at  the  usual  rate  ($1.50)  would  have  netted 
a  tidy  sum — they  have  been  forwarded  through  New  York  City  to  interior  points  and  never  failed  to 
arrive  in  prime  condition  and  receive  enconiums. 

The  personal  equation  here  as  elsewhere  means  much,  therefore  study  up  your  packages,  decide 
what  you  will  use  and  put  them  together  during  the  winter,  time  is  too  precious  in  the  summer  season. 

Gathering  a  crop  when  it  has  reached  the  best  stage  is  a  matter  that  entails  much  thought.  The 
coming  idea  is  "not  how  large,  but  how  good."  Peas  picked  when  young  and  sweet  will  sell  as  "petit 
pois"  at  an  advanced  figure.  Small  beans  bring  "baby  bean"  figures,  while  small,  crisp  radishes  are 
the  only  ones  worth  shipping.  Young  beets  are  in  demand,  also  young  carrots,  onions  and  turnips. 
Gather  your  corn  before  the  kernels  have  reached  their  largest  size  and  do  not  wait  for  lettuce  to  become 
as  hard  as  a  rock  provided  it  is  well  blanched  and  headed. 

It  seems  to  me  the  mutual  interests  of  market-gardener  and  consumer  could  be  materially  advanced 
if  the  former  would  form  a  league  and  meet  the  National  Stewards  League  of  America.  They  would 
find  their  interests  identical  and  here,  on  equal  terms,  matters  of  vital  interest  could  be  brought  up  and 
discussed. 

The  Market-Gardeners'  Association  could  have  at  its  head  an  agent  whose  business  it  would  be  to 
keep  in  touch  with  the  members  of  the  association  and  the  members  of  the  league,  so  that  a  larger 
harvest  of  one  commodity  could  be  disposed  of  where  the  league  members  most  wanted  it.  The  Suffolk 
County  Cauliflower  Association  has  been  established  on  these  Imes  for  some  years.  Their  agent  keeps 
in  touch  with  the  markets  of  both  East  and  West,  giving  to  the  members  the  knowledge  where  to  ship 
to  their  best  advantage  and  thus  save  a  glut  in  the  nearby  market.  Now  the  producer  and  consumer 
of  garden  crops  are  as  far-apart  as  the  poles  with  the  commission  man  between  them.  This  may  and  no 
doubt  does  sound  mo.st  tremendously  hard  on  the  commissioners;  they  still  have  their  place  in  the 
world  however,  for  the  big  carload  lots  and  imported  commodities  must  always  be  looked  after  by  them. 
The  market-gardeners'  consignments  are  usually  small  and  many  commission  houses  do  not  care  to 
handle  them  at  all.  This  has  been  our  personal  experience  this  summer,  therefore  the  fact  has  been 
forced  upon  us,  that  the  small  producer  must  find  his  market  direct;  easy  in  this  case  for  the  one  wants 
what  the  other  has. 

On  the  same  date  from  the  same  house  there  may  be  a  wide  difference  in  the  returns  on  the  same 
commodity  packed  in  different  ways.  Again  the  return  from  one  house  may  be  much  higher  than  from 
another  on  the  same  goods  packed  the  same  way.  For  instance,  from  one  house  on  the  same  day  we 
received  the  same  price  for  a  basket  and  for  a  crate  of  melons.  The  basket,  of  course  held  much  less,, 
but  the  quality  of  the  two  packages  was  the  same.     At  one  time  and  at  one  house  turnips  sold  for  f)7' 

6S 


Ko.    2's   "Wicksrni"    I'liiin,    n.^t   yet   Three   Years   01.1.      I.   ,.     .^    that   Pleased   the    Palates   of   even   the 
Epicurean  Oriole.     Grapes   of  Superb   (Quality  and   Big  Yield 


s.s 

O  H 


cents  per  barrel;  at  another  house,  7  cents  per  bunch,  in  crates;  this  seems  to  be  good  proof  of  the 
advisability  of  fancy  packing.  Tomatoes  loose  in  crates  (even  though  carefully  sorted)  brought  50 
cents  per  crate;   in  baskets  in  crates,  as  high  as  $1.75. 

Watermelons  and  eggplants  should  be  packed  with  a  little  straw  that  they  may  carry  unblemished. 
Lettuce  wrapped  in  paraffin  paper  and  a  piece  of  paper  laid  over  the  head  of  cauliflower  will  raise  them 
at  once  to  the  ranks  of  aristocratic  vegetables. 

For  the  convenience  of  those  who  are  uninitiated,  2}4  bushels  make  a  barrel;  spring  radishes  should 
have  12  in  a  bunch,  while  the  summer  varieties  require  only  (i.  Beets  and  turnips  should  have  fi,  8,  or  10, 
according  to  size;  understand  this  is  merely  the  custom  of  one  locality,  and  package  customs,  like  others, 
have  their  good  and  bad  points.  Individuality,  on  a  basis  of  common  sense,  will  prove  as  good  with 
vegetables  as  it  has  with  fruits  and  flowers,  while  new  varieties  and  hybrids  are  being  as  eagerly  sought 
for  by  stewards  as  by  landscape  gardeners. 

List  of  Plant  Life 

]''l<uiri,sliii;K  Jit   KxiJrriiKciital    Staliiin   X(i.    1   within   a    Year  after  t'lcarint;-   ( '(■imiifuced 

Vegetable.s 


N'ame  No.  of  varieties 

Artichoke,   Jerusalem...  1 

Asparagus    1 

Beans,   string 8 

Beans,     Lima (i 

Beets    3 

Borage   1 

Bnissels  Sprouts 2 

Cabbage     14 

r'ardoon   1 

{.'arrot    4 

Cauliflower    S 

Celery     9 


\anic  Nil.  of  varieties 

Celeriac-      \ 

(hives     1 

(!or!i,    sweet    10 

Cucumbers     5 

Fgglilant    1 

Kn<live       'A 

llorscrailisli     1 

Kale    2 

Kohl-Kabi    1 


Xaiiie 

Onions 

Parsnip; 


Xo.  of  varieties 
4 


Peanuts    2 

I'eas    a 

Peppers    4 

Pe-tsai    1 

Potatoes,   white 10 

Potatoes,   sweet ''> 

Lettuce     19     Pumpkin    2 

Martvnia    1     IJadishes    8 

OKra      2      i.Muiharl)     2 


\'am<'  Xo.  of  varieties 

Sakurajima    3 

.S;ilsif.v    1 

Scorzonera     1 

Sliallots      1 

Spinach    3 

S(|uash f) 

SunHoxver     1 

'{"(miatjjes IH 

Turnips     4 

I'do     2 

Total     ISO 


Fruits  and    Bcirie 


Name  Xo.  of  varieties 

Apple    10 

Apricot     1 

Blackberries    1 

Cantaloupes    ." 

Cherries   4 


Name  No.  of  varieties 

Currants    3 

European    phuiis (5 

Gooseberries    2 

(irai)es    3 

.Japanese  plums 3 


Xame  Xo.  of  varieties 

X'eetarine     1 

Peaches    (> 

Pears    10 

Quinces    3 

Raspberries     3 


Name  No.  of  varieties 

Strawberries   1 

Watermelon     2 

'J-utal     64 


oraye 


Name  No.  of  varieties 

Alfalfa    1 

Alsike     1 

Beets,  sugar 1 

Canada   field   peas 1 


Xo.  of  varieties 
3 


X'ame 

Clover    

Corn,     field 2 

Cow    peas 1 

Mangel    Wurzel 2 


Xame  Xo.  of  varieties 

Millet   2 

Oats    1 

Rye   1 

Sorglmm     1 


Xame  No.  ol  varieties 

Teosinte     1 

Vetch    1 

Total     19 


Foliage  and  Flower  Plants 


Name  No.  of  varieties 

Adlumia     1 

Asters    3 

Bessera 1 

Bulbous    begonias 4 

Calendula    , 1 

CaHadium    1 

Cataljja    .  .  .  .• 1 

Cobo'a 1 

t'hiysanthemum    6 

Crocus    3 


Xame  X'o.  of  varieties 

Cypress     vine 2 

Dahlia     3 

Oatfodils    3 

Kulalia   3 

Forget-me-not      1 

Fuschia    4 

(;  era  Ilium     4 

(JIadiolus     6 

Crass,     lawn 3 

ILdlvhock     4 


Xo.  of  varietle: 


Name 

Iris    

Lilac     

Lilies    

Xasturtium,    dwarf.  . 
Xastuitium.     climbini 

O.xalis     

Pansy    

Perennial   phlox 

Privet     

Roses    


Xame  No.  of  varieties 

Salvia     1 

Scarlet    Rumier 1 

Shrub,     scented 1 

Sweet     Peas 6 

Sweet     William 1 

Thunbergia    1 

Violet     3 

Wild   Cucundicr 1 

Total     117 


Crand     T( 


;S0      v;u-icties 


Long  Island   Cauliflower  Uncqualcd   Elsewhere 


Summary 

Giving  data,  also  conclusions  of  Broad  Gauge  Men 

THE  history  of  Twentieth  Century  Pioneering  has  been, written  from  a  record  kept  day  unto  day 
in  2  diaries;  this  being  supplemented  by  a  very  large  number  of  photographs  to  graphically 
portray  the  methods  and  happenings  incident  to  the  subjugation  of  acreage,  frequently  referred 
to  as  "wild  land,"  in  the  quickest  time  possible.  Unquestionably  many  improvements  will 
suggest  themselves  to  even  the  casual  reader. 

Three  hundred  and  eighty  varieties  of  plant  growth  were  successfully  developed  or  naturalized. 
This  great  number  was  experimented  with  in  order  to  prove  conclusively  to  the  world  at  large  the  fact 
well  known  to  real  Long  Islanders,  that  any  plant  growable  in  the  Temperate  Zone  could  be  developed 
far  above  the  average  in  quality,  and  further,  many  little  known  or  entirely  unknown  growths  of  marked 
food  value  in  their  native  countries  would  readily  naturalize  with  the  particularly  favorable  conditions 
of  Long  Island  climate  and  soil. 

In  no  respects  were  the  experiments  with  unusual  plants  a  failure.  The  failures  as  enlarged  upon 
in  the  body  of  this  book,  were  without  exception  with  those  species  long  ago  proven  particularly  profitable 
on  the  Island.  And  the  failures  upon  Experimental  Station  No.  1  were  duplicated  not  only  on  Long 
Island,  but  throughout  the  East  because  of  the  practically  unique  atmospheric  conditions  prevalent 
during  the  summer  of  190G. 

Commercial  fertilizer  was  not  used  or  experimented  with  because  it  was  not  needed  in  the  virgin 
soil,  whose  oiily  lack  was  humus,  or  decaying  vegetable  matter.  A  particularly  small  quantity  of  manure 
was  used  in  order  to  show  that  a  very  small  amount  of  capital  could  be  made  to  yield  more  profit  when 
invested  in  agricultural  pursuits  upon  the  libeled  Long  Island  territory  still  lying  idle  and  without  reason 
called  "pine  barrens"  and  "scrub-oak  waste,"  than  from  acres  long  tilled  by  "penny  wise  and  pound 
foolish"  owners. 

To  plant  and  cultivate  13  acres,  the  majority  of  them  intensively,  but  3  men  were  employed.  Again, 
to  show  primarily  that  a  small  amount  of  capital  would  carry  on  the  labor  end  of  market-gardening,  also 
that  3  men  with  modern  machinery  could  do  what  from  5  to  S  experienced  hands  would  accomplish  with 
only  the  strongest  of  efforts  without  the  aid  of  labor-saving  devices.  The  use  of  mechanical  drills  and 
hand  cultivators  proved  time  and  time  again,  by  measurement  and  by  clock,  that  1  man  with  a  machine 
whose  first  cost  is  from  $7.00  to  $10.00  and  with  a  life  lasting  many  years,  equaled  10  men  with  a  hoe. 

!Many  experiments  in  packing  and  marketing  were  tried,  proving  conclusively  that  individuality 
in  packing  paid.  That  there  was  a  great  market  for  strictly  choice,  fresh,  products  of  the  earth  and 
further  that  the  principle  proven  so  successful  by  manufacturers  and  mercantile  houses,  must  be  pursued 
to  secure  the  largest  returns  by  those  who  select  to  go  to  Mother  Nature  for  a  livelihood.  The  trend 
of  the  times  is  summed  up  in  the  phrase  "from  producer  to  consumer  direct."  The  consumer  secures 
not  only  absolutely  fresh  food,  but  vegetables  and  berries  and  fruits  that  have  ripened,  as  the  chemistry 
of  nature  requires,  upon  the  parent  stalk  at  no  increase  in  cost,  but,  in  fact,  at  a  marked  reduction;  while 
the  grower  who  has  given  time  and  labor,  thought  and  capital,  receives  a  return  sufficient  to  prove  that 
agriculture  is  a  business,  assuring  not  only  a  comfortable  livelihood  but  profits  fully  equal  to  those  of 
any  manufacturing  or  mercantile  pursuit.  It  is  sincerely  hoped  that  the  following  data  will  prove  of 
interest  and  value. 

Total  area  of  Long  Island,  1,076,480  acres.  The  west  end,  comprising  Kings,  Queens,  and  Nassau 
Counties,  337,363  acres.  Suffolk  County,  the  easterly  two-thirds  of  the  Island,  covers  739, 117  acres.  Of 
this  over  40,000  are  without  assessment.  This  non-producing  territory  consists  mainly  of  beaches  and 
salt  meadows,  while  200,000  acres  lie  idle  and  with  merely  nominal  assessment  against  them,  much  of 
them  covered  with  second  and  third  growth  timber  consisting  principally  of  oak,  chestnut,  and  pine 
which  is  not  considered  large  enough  for  cord  wood.  Some  of  it  through  lack  of  forethought  has  been 
burned  over  by  the  forest  fires  so  prevalent  generally  in  the  spring.  As  a  matter  of  fact  the  cord  wood 
on  much  of  this  idle  acreage  would  pay,  and  more  than  pay,  for  the  clearing  and  the  first  cost.  Practically 
all  of  it  is  absolutely  virgin  soil  with  every  requisite  for  raising  a  high  quality  and  big  yield  of  flowers, 
fruits,  and  vegetables. 

Prices  of  uncleared  land  vary  from  .$25.00  to  $150.00  per  acre.  Cleared  land,  some  of  it  fenced  and 
with  dwellings  and  farm  buildings  upon  it,  varies  in  price  from  $100.00  to  $250.00  per  acre.  Much  of 
this  land  is  extremely  valuable  having  been  kept  up  by  the  waste  matter  of  live  stock  of  many  species. 
Other  acreage  has  been  handled  by  progressive  men  who  knew  the  value  of  cover  crops  and  green  manure. 
Some,  of  course,  has  been  handled  with  less  intelligence  but  quickly  responds  to  methods  proven  rational 
and  assuring  yearly  increase  of  fertility. 

Every  section  of  Long  Island  is  readily  accessible.  The  narrow  island  has  3  divisions  of  the  Long 
Island  Railroad  paralleling  each  other;  1  on  the  south  shore,  one  through  the  central  section  and  1 
along  the  north  shore,  making  it  practically  impossible  to  locate  5  miles  from  the  railroad  facilities,  and 
much  of  the  unsubdued  woodland  lies  within  70  miles  of  New  York  City,  the  greatest  market  in  the 
world. 

The  Long  Island  Railroad  Company  was  chartered  in  1S34,  construction  completed  to  Hicksville 
in  1837  and  in  1844  the  main  line  had  reached  the  terminal  at  Greenport,  which,  with  a  connecting  line  of 
steamers,  opened  up  New  England  markets  to  the  farmers  at  the  east  end  of  Suffolk  County,  which 
rapidly  developed  that  portion  of  the  fertile  island.     Railroad  statistics  show  that  the  Long  Island 


Railroad  is  the  only  railroad  in  the  United  States  which  has  retained  its  original  name  and  charter 
unchanged.  Long  Island,  settled  in  1640  both  from  England  and  New  England,  the  particularly 
favorable  climate  backing  up  the  fertile  and  tractable  soil,  soon  brought  settlers  from  neighboring 
states  as  well  as  across  the  water.  The  east  end  built  up  speedily  and  settlements  first  trended  west 
along  the  thrifty  tree-covered  north  shore.  Huntington,  mainly  because  of  its  good  harbor,  developed 
strongly  and  furnished  in  the  early  days  the  small  villages  of  New  York  and  Brooklyn  with  bread  from 
its  bakeries.  Westbury.  developed  from  Hempstead,  was  at  this  time  supplying  milk  to  these  same 
small  villages  and  the  extreme  east  end  was  supplying  meat,  which  was  driven  on  the  hoof  to  be  slaughtered 
by  the  predecessors  of  the  purveyors  of  animal  food  to  the  metropolis  of  to-day.  As  New  York  and 
Brooklyn  grew,  the  wealthier  classes  selected  Long  Lsland  for  their  country  homes.  In  Colonial  days 
the  territory  just  east  of  Long  Island  City  we,s  covered  by  beautiful  country  places  and  we  were  enter- 
taining celebrated  foreigners,  Lafayette  among  others.  Driven  eastward  by  natural  development  of 
the  great  cities,  the  Westbury  Hills  attracted  those  longing  for  great  estates  and  the  dairymen  exchanged 
the  milk  pail  for  the  coupon-cutting  scissors.  At  Glen  Cove,  between  Oyster  Bay  and  Hempstead, 
and  at  Amityville  the  rapid  settlement  by  the  wealthier  classes  continued  and  a,s  transportation  facilities 
were  increased,  the  home-seeker  of  more;  modest  means  followed,  until  the  territory  up  to  the  Suffolk 
line  was  dotted  thickly  with  growing  villages,  now  for  the  greater  part  suburban  wards.  Suffolk  was 
an  unknown  country  sparsely  settled  and  devoted  mainly  to  farming.  The  natural  eastward  trend, 
however,  which  started  in  Colonial  days,  has  not  abated,  the  newcomers  in  Suffolk  as  a  rule  selecting 
their  home  sites  near  the  island's  shores,  leaving  the  interior  still  unsuVjdued. 

Topographically  the  island's  surface  is  most  varied.  Its  north  shore  is  composed  of  wooded  hills 
dropping  abruptly  to  the  waters  of  the  sound,  and  sloping  gradually  to  the  ocean  shore,  leaving  its 
central  section  a  gently  undulating  and  very  easily  tilled  territory.  Its  climate  is  remarkably  temperate, 
records  showing  the  range  between  May  and  October  to  be,  5G  in  October  and  but  71.8  in  July.  The 
waters  surrounding  the  isla.nd  tempering  the  heat  in  summer  as  well  as  the  cold  in  winter.  The  records 
show  between  10  to  1")  degrees  in  favor  of  Long  Island  Government  report  shows  the  average  date  of 
killing  frosts  on  Long  Island  to  be  October  20th,  about  one  month  later  than  in  Brooklyn  or  New  York. 
The  same  report  shows  that  in  the  year  1898  there  were  312  sunshiny  days,  a  recoid  only  claimed  in 
such  semi-tropical  states  as  California  or  Florida,  such  statistics  explain  in  part  why  Long  Island  is  the 
most  favored  spot  on  the  Atlantic  coast.  It  is  the  only  land  lying  directly  across  the  prevailing  south- 
west winds  of  summer,  which  blowing  from  the  ocean  reach  it  unobstructed  and  uncontainina,ted.  Its 
soil  is  known  to  the  geologist  as  Norfolk  sandy  loam,  varying  in  depth  from  two  and  one-half  to  five 
feet.  Its  underdrainage  being  ideal  and  far  superior  to  that  secured  by  ditching  or  tiles,  composed 
chiefly  of  glacial  boulders  and  gravel,  surplus  moisture  is  carried  off  as  it  slowly  percolates  through  the 
soil  above,  which  contains  sufficient  clay  to  hold  the  moisture  and  supply  the  needs  of  plant  life.  This 
same  drainage  is  given  as  the  reason  that  of  the  ten  healthiest  spots  in  the  world  Long  Island  stands 
third,  the  first  and  second  being  far  up  in  the  mountains  of  Europe. 

In  the  agricultural  statistics  of  New  York  State  the  island  holds  a  high  place;  its  area  is  given  as 
about  one-twenty  fifth  of  the  entire  state.  In  Suffolk  County  over  one-half  of  this  land  is  undeveloped. 
The  population  statistics  of  the  early  days  are  interesting. 

POPULATION 

New  York  State 

New  York  City 

Long  Island 

For  a  century  and  a  half,  while  New  York  State  was  largely  agricultural,  the  island  in  population 
and  revenue  was  the  mainstay  of  the  Empire  State,  running  up  to  one-half  of  the  state's  total. 

Its  crop  yield  led  all  other  portions,  not  excepting  the  Mohawk  and  Gene-see  valleys'  famous  farms. 
The  avera.ge  yield  per  acre  from  old  state  records  show: 

Average  yield  per  acre 
Long  Island  All  other  sections 

Corn 35  bushels  2S  bushels 

Wheat 19  bushels  U  bushels 

Oats 2()  bushels  17  bushels 

Rye 17  bushels  1 1  bushels 

Barley 28  bushels  10  bushels 

Suffolk  County's  settlement  is  strangely  sparse,  there  being  roughly,  one  and  three-fourths  persons 
per  acre,  averaging  the  island  as  a  whole.  An  anomaly  for  a  territory  which  is  the  logical  residence 
section  of  Greater  New  Yorkers  and  which  for  genera.tions  has  proven  itself  to  be  the  natural  source  of 
supply  of  milk  and  vegetables  needed  by  the  great  cities  whose  requirements  augment  stupendously 
each  year.  These  two  foods  being  of  little  value  and  even  a  menace  to  health,  except  when  slriclli/  fresh. 
must  perforce  be  dra,wn  from  supply  points  close  by.  For  even  the  most  studious  care  and  skillful 
refrigeration  fails  to  compensate  for  the  extended  time  necessary  to  reach  the  consumer  from  far-off 
regions.  Milk  cannot  be  kept  in  perfect  statu  quo  nor  can  the  change  from  vegetable  sugar  to  starchy 
products  of  no  huma,n  food  value  be  checked,  hence  in  the  future  the  easterly  half  of  Long  Island  will  be 
relied  upon  to  furnish  the  freshest  milk,  vegetables,  fruits,  and  flowers  for  the  New  York  market. 

The  Long  Island  Railroad,  continually  anticipating  the  need  of  growers,  is  increasing  its  express 
service  and  runs  special  trains  to  carry  freight  cars  of  vegetables  on  standard  passenger  train  schedules 
from  growing  localities  to  markets.  In  1906  its  special  service  placed  vegetables  in  the  hands  of  city 
consumers  inside  of  four  hours  after  they  were  packed  and  shipped  from  a  distance  of  nearly  seventy 
miles. 

75 


1693 

169S 

1703 

1723 

2,932 

17,848 

20,749 

40,584 

477 

4,937 

4,436 

7,248 

1,432 

8,261 

9,653 

15,650 

In  1905  the  freight  shipments  of  vegetables  by  rail  alone  amounted  to:  berries,  433  tons;  cauli- 
flower, 10,075  tons;  pickles,  20,962  tons;  potatoes,  53,724  tons;  requiring  3,250  freight  cars  to  transport 
this  large  yield  to  market,  where  the  growers  secured  for  potatoes,  cauliflower,  asparagus,  cabbage, 
celery,  etc.,  etc.,  prices  ranging  from  lO^o  to  40%  above  those  offered  for  the  same  varieties  raised 
elsewhere. 

The  express  service  handled  3,500  tons  of  cauliflower,  375  tons  of  lima  beans,  160  tons  of  Brussels 
sprouts,  175  tons  of  peaches,  450  tons  of  tomatoes. 

Herewith  Long  Island  data  of  yield  per  acre  compiled  from  carefully  kept  records  extending  over 
a  number  of  years: 

POTATOES — Potatoes  yield  per  acre  200  to  400  bushels;  average  price  75c.  per  bushel,  varying 
from  50c.,  when  bulk  of  crop  is  marketed,  to  $1.50  and  $2.00  for  early  and  for  potatoes  kept  into  the 
winter.     The  average  gross  return  per  acre  is  $225,  cost  of  production  $56.50,  net  profit  $169  per  acre. 

CAULIFLOWER — Long  Island  alone  can  grow  this  delicacy  in  large  quantities  in  the  open  air, 
the  natural  precipitation  making  this  possible.  This  crop  requires  care,  but  protected  and  blanched, 
its  floweret-formed  head  nets  a  profit  per  acre  averaging  over  $200. 

CABBAGE — Average  22  tons  per  acre.  Price  from  $8  to  $20  per  ton.  Easy  to  grow,  gather, 
and  pack.     One  grower  netted  $935  from  three  acres. 

CABBAGE  SEED — One  of  Long  Island's  specialties,  being  the  biggest  producer,  nets  over  $400 
per  acre. 

CELERY — Long  Island  grown  frequently  commands  a  premium.  Net  profits  vary  widely  from 
$300  to  $1,000  according  to  the  care  given  the  crop. 

BRUSSELS  SPROUTS— Cost  to  grow  $30.  Yield  frequently  over  3,000  quarts  of  miniature 
cabbage-heads  per  acre,  which  sell  at  10  to  30  cents  per  quart.     Average  net  return  $555  per  acre. 

ASPARAGUS — Yields  for  30  years,  but  good  business  pohcy  dictates  renewal  after  10  years' 
cropping.  Profitable  crop  after  three  years.  Average  yield  per  acre  2,500  bunches.  Value  12^  to 
25c.  per  bunch.     Net  yearly  return  for  10  years  averaged  over  $550  per  acre. 

FRUITS — Long  Island  has  developed  many  famous  strains.  The  Newtown  pippin  was  valued 
so  highly  that  in  1758  England  exempted  this  pippin  from  the  payment  of  duty. 

PEARS  have  netted  from  $600  to  $800  per  acre. 

QUINCES  especially  adapted  to  the  island,  $1,500  being  secured  by  one  grower  from  a  single  acre. 

PEACHES  do  well,  especially  on  the  hills. 

PLUMS — The  Japanese  varieties  thrive  marvelously,  paying  the  third  year  a  good  margin. 

SMALL  FRUIT& — Gooseberries  yield  200  to  400  bushels  per  acre,  cost  to  raise  and  market  50c. 
per  bushel,  bring  $3  to  $4  per  bushel.     Average  net  $900  per  acre. 

CURRANTS — Annual  yield  sure  and  extremely  heavy,  two  to  four  pounds  per  bush,  frequently 
net  $300  to  $400  per  acre. 

BLACKBERRIES  AND  RASPBERRIES  thrive  well  and  return  upward  of  $300   per   acre. 

STRAWBERRIES  yield  heavily,  as  high  as  $800  per  acre  having  been  secured. 

CRANBERRIES — Long  Island  crops  rank  very  high,  yield  over  200  crates  per  acre;  value  $2 
and  upward  per  crate. 

GRAPES — At  present  grown  mainly  for  home  use.     Thrive  splendidly  and  would  pay  well. 

SEEDS,  PLANTS,  AND  BULBS — Floral  growth  has  proven  extremely  successful  on  the  island 
and  growers  of  specialties  as  well  as  a  general  line  are  exceptionally  prosperous. 

It  is  not  always  possible  to  see  ourselves  as  others  see  us,  but  the  case  of  the  Long  Island  Railroad's 
Experimental  Station  No.  1,  at  Wading  River,  proves  the  exception  to  the  general  rule  as  the  following 
extracts  from  letters  wTitten  by  prominent  men  will  attest: 

Among  the  pleasant  recollections  that  I  carried  away  are  the  impressions  of  the  possibilities  that  lay 
dormant  in  this  so-called  "scrub  oak  waste"  land.  It  was  a  revelation  in  several  respects.  I  was  greatly  sur- 
prised at  the  character  and  nature  of  the  soil,  especially  the  3^/2 -foot  loam  section  your  cellar  shows  overlying 
one  of  the  most  perfect  beds  of  gravel  as  an  underdrain  that  I  have  ever  seen.  What  you  have  done  in  less  than 
a  year  en  the  so-called  "waste  lands"  is  convincing  proof  that  all  this  section  needs  is  intelligent  management 
and  hard  work  to  bring  out  the  latent  possibilities  in  vegetable  and  fruit  growing.  The  character  of  the 
products  I  saw  on  your  place  was  most  striking.  I  have  never  seen  a  better  showing  of  alfalfa  or  a  more  pro- 
fuse growth  of  corn  than  you  have  at  the  present  time.  Your  alfalfa  plot,  particularly  the  one  on  which  soil 
from  an   old  alfalfa  field  was  used  for  inoculation,   is  a  wonder. 

The  work  you  are  doing  will  certainly  have  a  far-reaching  effect  in  practically  demonstrating  the  possi- 
bilities of  vegetable  and  fruit  growing  in  that  section.  Your  method  of  clearing  land  by  blowing  out  the 
stumps  with  dynamite  is  unique  and  interesting.     This  method  will  be  of  great  value  to  others. 

Prof.  W.  G.  Johnson, 

August   15th,   1906.  Editor,    The  American   Agriculturist, 

Orange,  Judd   Co. 

.Ml  were  surprised  at  the  wonders  of  your  farm  work  and  will  talk  about  it  for  months  to  come.  The 
"Home  Hamper"  is  an  excellent  method  of  packing  and  is  a  fine  method  of  shipping  the  splendid  vegetables 
raised  at  E.xperiment  Station  Number  1.  Charles   E.    Shepard, 

August   16th,   1906.  Editor,   Brooklyn    Daily   Eagle. 

You  could  not  have  secured  a  better  truck  and  garden  soil  if  you  had  excavated  and  made  it  to  order. 
The  demonstration  you  made  in  growing  such  a  variety  of  first  quality  garden  crops  in  one  short  season  on 
wild  soil  and  without  chemical  fertilizer  I  consider  nothing  short  of  marvelous. 

I  am  especially  gratified  at  the  tine  showing  of  alfalfa  and  forage  crops.  You  have  demonstrated  not  only 
the  possibility  but  the  ease  with  which  dairy  herds  may  be  maintained  by  the  soiling  system  on  soils  always 
considered  too  light  and  poor  for  such  purposes.  The  problem  of  an  adequate  milk  supply  for  New  York  City 
becomes  more  acute  each  year  and  the  opening  of  a  vast  territory  of  production  within  two  hours'  distance  of 
this  great  market,  in  a  section  hitherto  considered  impossible,  should  prove  a  magnificent  opening  for  the 
dairy  interest.  Col.    F.   E.   Bonsteel, 

August  15th,  190G.  Editor,  Farming;  Doubleday,  Page  &  Co. 

You  have  delivered  the  goods.     Long  Island  wood  ashes  and  Yankee   muscle  and  brains  do   work   miracles. 
July  22d,  1906.  Walter  S.  Funnell, 

Editor,  Brooklyn   Daily   Times. 

76 


I 


:-i_ 

^  -i^- 


L    li    Ml  ^  i' 


Brussels  Sprouts — Picking  and  Packing 
A   Crop  Gathered   When  All   Other   Crops   are   Done 


Squashes  ai;(l  cuciiiiibers  arrived,   melons  were  great.     Vou   are  certainly  producing  the  goods. 

August  1st.   1906.  Col.   A.   G.   Peacock, 

Editor,  N.   Y.  Herald. 

I  expect  to  indulge  in  an  old-fashioned  country  dinner  «hen  I  get  home.  Vou  are  a  bigger  and  a  better 
farmer  than  Horace  Greeley  ever  was.  John  A.   Sleicher, 

August  2d.   1906.  Editor,  Leslie  [Weekly. 

President,  Judge  Co. 

I  was  very  much  surprised  to  see  what  a  fine  lot  of  vegetables  you  have  raised  on  what  apparently  was 
unproductive  soil.  I  think  that  the  experiment  made  by  the  I.org  Island  Railroad  was  a  very  wise  one.  I  have 
enjoyed  watching  the  progress  and  development  of  this  undertaking  and  I  feel  sure  that  when  the  people  know 
how  productive  the  soil  is  and  how  comparatively  easy  and  economical  the  land  can  be  cleared  there  will  be 
many  who  wish  to  acquire  good  farm  holdings  within  easy  access  of  the  City  of  New  York. 

Brooklyn,  August  13th,  1906.  Judge  Wm.  J.  Youngs. 

The  work  of  the  Experimental  Station  is  very  interesting  and  edible. 

September  17th,  1906.  Lewis  Wiley, 

Adv.   Mgr.,  New   York   Times. 

The  tomatoes  were  delicious.  The  first  really  good  tomatoes  I  had  this  summer.  The  novelty  of  real 
sugar  corn  was  also  delightful  to  the  palate.  The  radishes  were  sound  ar.d  crisp,  the  beans  fine,  and  the 
potatoes  about  as  perfect  as  any  I  have  ever  eaten. 

There  are  many  who  would  appreciate  the  opportunity  to  get  really  fresh  vegetables.  I  think  there  is  an 
especially  good  opening  in  New  York  for  real  sugar  corn  and  real  lima  beans.  You  have  the  advantage  and  can 
command  a  higher  price  for  the  real  thing,  which  is  almost  impossible  to  get  in  the  market  or  even  from  the 
fancy  green  grocer.  Wm.   Wirt  Mills, 

September  loth,  1906.  Editor,  N.   Y.  Evening  Mail. 

The  hamper  containing  the  very  attractive  samples  of  your  products  was  duly  received.  It  is  work  in  the 
right  direction  and.  systematically  pursued,  cannot  fail  to  prove  of  lasting  benefit,  not  only  to  the  jiromotcrs, 
but  to  the  community  at  large.  E.   G.   Sanborn, 

August  9th,   1906.  Editor,   The   IVortd. 

The  melons  were  fine,   first-class,  in   fact,   any  term  implying  excellence   may  justly  be  applied   to  them. 

September  18th.   1906.  S.  W.   Cooper, 

Editor,  Brooklyn  Daily  Eagle. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  contents  of  the  baskets  were  used  and  enjoyed,  which  is  not  .surprising  in 
view  of  the  fact  that  the  entire  contents  of  the  baskets  were  the  products  of  the  finest  land  in  the  world.  I 
always  have  been  a  great  believer  in  Long  Island  and  felt  that  all  it  needed   was  a  show. 

August  6th,  1906.  Wm.   Holmes,  Jr., 

Bus.   Mgr.,   N.    Y.   Press. 

If  j'ou  are  going  into  the  business  of  furnishing  "Home  Hampers"  I  will  be  able  to  get  you  some  cus- 
tomers. '  Wm.  a.   Deering, 

August  1st,   1906.  Adv.   Jfgr.,   N.    Y.  Sun. 

The  "firstlings"  of  the  crop  came  duly  to  hand  and  were  highly  appreciated.  Will  you  kindly  permit  me 
to  thank  you  heartily  for  the  token  of  your  skill  as  a  tiller  of  the  soil  and  the  proof  it  afforded  of  the  avail- 
ability of  Long  Island  soil.  F.   Danna   Reed, 

June   12th,   1906.  Editor,  Brooklyn  Daily  Eagle. 

I  am  exceedingly  interested  in  the  excellent  report  concerning  the  alfalfa  experiments.  I  think  the  alfalfa 
has  made  a  most  excellent  showing.  That  the  results  speak  well  for  the  possibilities  of  alfalfa  upon  this  type 
of  Long  l>i!and  soil  when  given  careful  treatment,  which  appears  to  be  essential. 

September   13th,   1906.  J.    W.   Westgate, 

Asst.  Agrostologist,  U.  S.   Dept.  Agricultuie. 

From  the  standpoint  of  development  one  of  the  most  inijiortant  features  of  the  year's  work  is  the  prac- 
tical demonstration  made  by  the  Long  Islpiid  IJailroad  Comimny  through  neighbor  Fulleiton  and  his  able 
assistants  that  the  wild  lands  of  Suffolk  may  be  made  to  produce  as  good  fruits,  vegetables,  and  fodder  as 
any  man  need  desire.  The  theory  of  "waste  lands"  on  Long  Island  is  knocked  higher  than  a  kite.  The  way 
is  opened  for  truck  farms,  fruit  farms,  daiiy  farms,  and  everj-  other  kind  of  a  farm  in  a  region  which  has  here- 
tofore been  left  to  the  uses  of  the  rabbit,  the  deer,   and  the  wild   birds. 

— Uncle  Jerry  W'ockers,   in   The  County  Review. 

The  above  are  from  representative  men,  and  prove  conclusively  that  the  Long  Island  Railroad's 
Experimental  Station  Number  1  produced,  within  1  year  of  clearing,  high-grade  crops.  The  publicity 
given  this  effort  to  put  the  so-called  "waste  lands"  in  a  condition  to  take  their  proper  place  in  the  world's 
work  of  yielding  their  full  quota  of  revenue  has  been  so  successful,  that  development  is  now  under  way  in 
various  sections,  and  anticipating  the  rapid  development  of  the  thousands  of  acres  of  unused  land  on 
Long  Island  along  agricultural  lines,  the  Long  Island  Railroad  Company  has  in  hand  plans  for  aiding 
in  the  establishment  of  a  produce  market  where  trains  from  each  division  of  the  railroad  can  be  run  direct, 
and  thus  furnish  quick  service  and  an  adequate  distributing  point  for  the  handling  of  products  which 
will  be  grown  on  Long  Island  soil. 

Most  clearly  does  the  following  editorial  sum  up  the  situation  and  show  the  motive  underlying  the 
Long  Island  Railroad's  demonstration  of  the  Island's  "waste  lands"  fertility. 

Eden  and  Arcadia  at  Home 

Commentators  are  not,  even  yet,  all  agreed  upon  the  location  of  the  Garden  of  Eden,  nor  is  the  local 
habitation  of  classic  Arcadia  as  clear  as  the  associations  which  surround  the  name.  Until  quite  recently, 
though,  no  one,  even  the  most  learned  or  astute,  entertained  any  serious  suspicion  that  either  of  these  inviting 
or  historic  localities  belonged  to  Long  Island.  Within  the  last  few  months,  however,  a  movement  has  been  in 
good  faith  begun  by  long-headed,  practical  business  men,  few,  if  any,  of  whom  can  be  suspected  of  idealism 
or  rainbow-chasing,  which  may  end  b5'  the  demonstration  that  the  Island  on  which  we  live,  and  of  which  we 
know  so  little,  has  in  it  jiossibilities  which  may  yet  make  it  the  garden  and  beauty  spot  of  the  entire  Atlantic 
coast,  not  to  say  of  the  whole  country.  Three  fjuarters  of  a  million  acres  of  as  fair  land  as  lies  outdoors  offers 
inviting,  almost  unlimited,  field  for  the  experiment;  the  commercial  environment  is  complete — that  is  to  say, 
the  markets  and  the  money  rewards  are  at  hand;  and  so  the  appeal  which  is  both  the  beginning  and  end  of 
the  most  of  the  activities  of  mankind  is  direct  and  immediate.  Reclamation  of  what  have  heretofore  been 
regarded  by  the  lazy  and  indifferent  as  merely  barren  wastes  is  already  inaugurated  on  broad  lines,  both  for 
immediate  and  remote  development,  with  the  greatest  and  most  insatiable  markets  of  the  world  at  the  very 
door,  ready  to  pay  even  the  highest  prices  for  everything  which  the  soil  can  produce.  Never,  perhaps,  has  a 
great  industrial  operation  of  unbounded  possibilities  and  reaching  into  the  far  future  been  more  advantageously 
begun  than  this  for  the  new  era  oi  agricultural  Long  Island.  ICverybody  knows  that  the  real  estate  boom  which 
has  inflated  values  on  the  western  end  of  the  Island,  almost  to  the  bursting  or  breaking  point,   must  sooner  or 

78 


Japanese   Udo,  a  Winter  Luxury.      Pe-tsai,   the   Delicate   Chinese   Cabbage 
Witloof  Chicory,  or   Barbe  de   Capucin,   a   Belgian  Salad 


later  meet  the  inevitable,  but  for  the  work  which  is  now,  for  the  first  time,  being  seriously  undertaken  no  such 
condition  attaches,  no  such  future  impends.  Intensive  farming  is  the  order  of  the  day  everywhere.  The 
cream  of  the  Western  prairies  has  been  skimmed,  with  the  demonstration  that  ten  acres,  or  even  five,  are 
enough;  the  trolley  and  the  telephone  have  put  an  end  to  rural  isolation;  the  cliff  dwellers  of  the  skyscrapers 
of  the  great  cities  are  finding  more  and  more  every  year  the  disadvantages  of  their  environment,  and  the 
tendency  to  return  to   mother  earth,  to  live  close  to  nature,  grows  stronger. 

Apart,  moreover,  from  the  immediate  and  local  interest  in  the  undertaking  which  is  to  transform  the 
greater  part  of  the  Island,  to  change  what  the  uninformed  and  the  indifferent  have  regarded  as  deserts  and 
barrens  to  blooming  and  fertile  fields,  the  movement  deserves  attention,  both  irom  its  economic  and  political 
aspects.  The  difficulties  of  real  republican  government  in  these  congested  human  centers,  the  problems  of 
administration,  sanitation,  education,  and  all  that  goes  to  make  up  life  are  the  most  serious,  the  most  per- 
plexing with  which  the  civic  administration  of  the  present  day  concerns  itself;  and  no  solution  has  yet  been 
found  to  compare,  in  any  degree,  with  that  of  distribution  of  the  people  in  homes-  of  their  own,  supported  by 
their  own  labor  upon  the  land.  If  the  Long  Island  experiment  does  nothing  else  than  to  spread  out  among 
the  rolling,  picturesque  hills  and  dales  of  the  north  shore,  the  broad,  inviting  plains  of  the  central  Island,  or 
the  breezy  expanses  of  the  southern  coast,  even  a  fraction  of  the  people  who  may,  in  these  surroundings,  find 
prosperous  and  happy  homes,  it  will  abundantly  justify  itself.  The  public  learns  only  by  object  lessons,  and 
one  like  that  which  Long  Island  offers  the  opportunity  and  the  reward  will  not  long  go  unheeded,  certainly  in 
the  entire  Atlantic  coast  chain  of  towns  and  cities. 

Another  factor  which  should  not  bo  overlooked  in  the  movement  is  the  close  and  direct  cooperation  of 
capital.  Indeed,  the  corporation  which  furnishes  transportation  to  the  Island  is  really  the  genius  of  the  whole 
undertaking,  working  out  the  practical  details,  gathering  information,  and  prosecuting  experiments  at  its  own 
cost,  handling  its  trains  and  even  extending  its  lines,  all  for  the  benefit  and  advantage  of  those  who  cooperate 
with  it  and  who  primarily  receive  the  benefit  of  the  development.  It  has  been  sometimes  said  that  it  would 
have  been  a  good  thing  for  the  Pennsylvania  if  it  had  bought  the  Island  when  it  bought  the  road.  It  may 
turn  out  to  be  better  than  that  if  it  develops  the  Island  and  so  gives  to  the  owners  of  its  lands,  both  small 
and  great,  share  and  share  alike,  the  unearned  increment,  the  inevitable  advance  in  value  which  must  come 
from  the  change  in  the  condition,  the  use  and  the  product  of  the  lands.  In  other  words,  while  Congress,  com- 
missioners, and  courts  legislate  and  wrangle  over  railroad  rates,  the  corporation  most  directly  concerned  sets 
an  example  by  lending  its  capital,  its  services,  and  its  enthusiasm  in  promoting  a  project  which  must  give  to 
its  beneficiaries  far  greater  and  more  permanent  advantage  than  it  possibly  can  to  the  railroad  itself.  Mr.  Hill, 
perhaps  the  ablest  railroad  administrator  living,  worked  this  all  out  long  ago,  in  his  Northwestern  development. 
The  Long  Island  adopts  the  same  principle,  with  methods  modified  to  suit  the  conditions,  and  it  is  only  reason- 
able to  anticipate  that  what  has  been  done  on  a  large  scale  and  upon  thousands  of  square  miles  of  prairie  may 
be  repeated,  even  more  profitably,   at  our  own  doors  and  upon  the  plains  of  Long  Island. 

The  incident  illustrates,  again,  the  old  maxim  that  "the  Lord  helps  those  who  help  themselves,"  and  that 
those  who  are  looking  for  the  chance  to  do  something  usually  are  able  to  find  work  close  at  hand.  Perhaps, 
also,  there  is  a  side  light  on  the  much  discussed  municipal  ownership  idea.  If  any  one  believes  that  the  agri- 
cultural development  of  Long  Island  could  be  accomplished  in  any  other  way  than  that  by  which  it  has  been 
undertaken,  the  experiments  of  municipal  bridge  operations,  of  tunnel  constioiction,  of  street  opening,  and  of 
public  buildings,  go  very  far  toward  demonstrating  a  negative.  The  corporation  and  the  public  are  abundantly 
able  to  meet  each  other  half  way,  at  least,  in  their  own  interests,  and  any  one  who  will  take  the  trouble  to 
study  the  methods  and  the  policy  recognized  between  the  railroad  and  the  people  of  the  Island  will  see  an 
excellent  illustration  of  the  practical,  common  sense  way  of  doing  things.  Taken  in  its  large  sense,  the  experi- 
ment of  Long  Island,  though  now  in  the  day  ol  small  things,  in  its  verj'  beginning,  is  one  of  which  a  great 
deal  more  will  be  heard  whicli  will  warrant  the  careful  study  and  attention  of  those  ,who  undertake  to  read 
from  events  and  from  social  and  industrial  changes  their  laws  and  lessons,  as  well  as  of  those  who  are  merely 
looking  for  a  good  thing,  for  a  chance  to  get  rich,  not  quick,  but  certainly. 

— Editorial,  Brooklyn  Standard  Union, 

This  broad  gauge  article  written  by  Mr.  Herbert  L.  Bridgman,  editor,  explorer,  and  philanthropist, 
is  assuredly  a  fitting  finis. 


Off   for   the   Morning   Train 


The  Homestead  at  No.   2  in   1909 


Aftermath 


IT  is  now  3  years  since  "The  Lure  of  the  Land"  was  written  and  we  are  nearing  the  close  of  the  fourth 
year  of  Experimental  Station  No.  L 
These  4  years  have  been  overflowing  with  varied  successes.     The  land  becomes  more  tractable 

"each  year,  the  small  fine  roots  disappearing  and  forming  humus,  which,  of  course,  _makes  culti- 
vation easier,  and  the  planted  rows  much  straighter. 

Peace  and  Plenty's  second  summer  saw  it  planted  to  as  many  crops  as  the  first  year,  each  plot  of 
land  was,  of  course,  planted  to  a  different  kind  of  vegetable;  that  is  crop  rotation  and  the  only  sensible 
course  to  pursue.  Each  type  of  plant  growth  takes  from  the  soil  a  predominance  of  one  kind  of  plant 
food,  another  type  of  plant  the  following  year  takes  of  another  elemant,  giving  the  soil  a  change — which 
means  to  all  of  us — rest. 

The  balance  of  the  dairy  plot  had  been  blown  free  of  stumps,  and  this  new  land  was  planted  to 
corn,  alfalfa,  and  potatoes.  The  alfalfa  experiments  were  with  various  kinds  of  seed,  no  laboratory 
inoculation  as  we  had  proven  soil  inoculation  the  only  rational  method.  There  was  seed  from  Mon- 
tana, Canada.  Dakota,  Colorado,  New  Mexico,  and  from  Provence,  France,  and  the  Montana  grown 
proved  to  be  the  best  of  all.  The  other  fields  were  so  poor  they  were  plowed  under  and  used  for  growing 
vegetables  the  following  year,  and  the  crops  proved  in  a  most  marked  way  the  value  of  this  plant  as  a 
"green  manure." 

The  orchard  made  brave  growth  and  was  sown  to  crimson  clover  early  in  the  fall  as  it  had  been  each 
year;  that  is  the  only  fertilizer  the  trees  have  had  except  a  small  quantity  of  wood  ashes  around  the 
trunk  to  head  off  borers  and  other  pests. 

The  third  summer  saw  the  fields  in  still  better  condition  with  one  or  two  exceptions.  The  onion 
yields  had  been  so  fine  it  was  deemed  wise  to  plant  2  acres  to  them  and  the  fifth  and  sixth  acres  on 
the  left  hand  side  of  the  middle  road  (if  you  can  picture  them  in  your  mind)  were  laid  aside  for  this  crop. 

The  Senior  Partner  said  to  Mike  (who,  by  the  way,  is  still  foreman  and  whose  family  now  numbers 
eight,  "Peace"  and  "Nettie"  having  made  their  appearance  on  this  planet  of  ours),  "I  want  to  try 
some  experiments  here  with  onions.  First  disc  harrow  that  land  just  as  soon  as  you  can  go  on  to  it.  One 
half  acre  has  crimson  clover  on  it  and  the  rest  was  not  winter  covered;  cut  that  clover  all  under  and  don't 
put  any  manure  or  anything  else  on  it.  On  this  part  put  400  pounds  wood  ashes,  and  on  this  part  1,000 
pounds  of  the  special  onion  fertilizer  you  are  so  crazy  to  try." 

"All  right,  Mr.  Fuller',  I  do  him,  you  see.     I  think  fertilizer  he  be  best,  onion  he  big  feeder." 

"I  know  he  is  a  big  feeder,  Mike,  but  I  am  willing  to  bet  dollars  to  doughnuts  that  we  get  the  best 
yield  from  the  crimson  clover." 

Mike  "did  him,"  "good  and  plenty."  He  trebled  the  dose  of  wood  ashes,  so  that  most  of  the  crop 
were  burnt  up  as  fast  as  it  germinated;  as  for  the  commercial  fertilizer,  the  onions  withered  and  died  with 
the  first  dry  spell.  There  was  chemical  food  in  the  ground  but  nothing  to  hold  the  moisture  to  make 
it  available.     The  crimson  clover  patch  yielded  a  good  crop  of  fine  onions. 

81 


Whether  Mike  went  "dopy"  or  the  proposition  was  too  big  for  him  the  third  summer,  it  is  hard  to 
tell;  in  any  event  the  farm  had  the  most  glorious  crop  of  weeds  along  the  fences  and  in  some  of  the  crops 
that  anyone  could  wish  not  to  see.  I  am  inclined  to  think  the  burden  was  too  great  for  an  untrained  man, 
and  the  Senior  Partner  was  kept  closely  in  the  office  in  Huntington  nearly  all  summer  and  could  not  be 
with  IMike  as  much  as  we  desired.  This  unexpected  office  has  been  a  curious  development  of  farm  work. 
"The  Lure  of  the  Land"  brought  us  so  many  letters  that  it  was  necessary  to  add  to  the  office  force.  In 
August,  1907,  Mr.  Peters  asked  if  we  could  get  out  a  little  leaflet  every  other  week  or  so,  giving  the  work 
at  the  Experimental  Stations,  so  that  people  who  had  become  interested  in  "The  Lure  of  the  Land" 
could  follow  the  farms  in  their  growth.  The  Senior  Partner  "lowed"  that  he  could  and  in  3  days  sent 
the  first  copy  of  "The  Long  Island  Agronomist"  on  its  life's  mission.  Every  2  weeks  since  then  the 
little  leaflet  has  gone  gratis  to  anyone  who  wants  it.  It  is  now  in  the  beginning  of  its  third  year  and  goes 
to  every  State  and  Territory  in  the  Union  and  every  country  in  the  globe,  numbering  over  7,500  copies 
each  issue.  More  office  work  to  keep  the  Senior  Partner  away  from  the  farms!  And  as  a  precious  little 
son  had  come  to  keep  me  busy,  I  was  of  little  or  no  use  as  a  farmer. 

In  August,  Mike  was  told  he  would  have  to  do  better  another  year  or  we  would  have  to  put  in  a  new 
foreman.  He  has  done  phenomenally  better  and  this  year  we  and  he  are  proud  to  have  anyone  see  the 
farm  at  any  time. 

This  year  there  have  been  magnificient  crops  of  corn,  potatoes,  cucumbers,  cauliflower,  pumpkin, 
beets,  beans,  carrots,  rhubarb,  onions,  Brussels  sprouts,  finochio,  squash,  spinach,  lettuce,  all  kinds  of 
melons,  tomatoes,  okra,  kale,  martynia,  eggplant,  Swiss  chard,  cabbage,  and  alfalfa.  A  new  acre  of 
alfalfa  was  planted  in  June  after  we  had  purchased  seed  from  every  seedsman  we  could  find  who  handled 
it,  and  had  them  all  tested  for  purity  and  germination  by  the  State  and  National  Departments  of  Agri- 
culture. There  were  but  2  fit  to  plant,  the  rest  containing  enormous  quantities  of  dangerous  weed 
seeds. 

Knowing  that  we  purchased  weed  seeds  with  the  alfalfa,  we  decided  to  sow  the  seed  in  drills  12 
inches  apart.  Also  knowing  that  one  cannot  spend  too  much  time  in  the  preparation  of  the  soil  for  a 
crop  which  will  last  so  many  years,  the  field  was  first  disc  harrowed  4  times  each  way,  then  spring  tooth 
harrowed,  then  leveled,  then  rolled — the  latter  to  compact  the  soil  so  that  there  would  be  no  air  spaces 
about  the  roots. 

As  we  are  still  going  light  on  "Pennsy  millions"  and  did  not  have  a  grain  drill,  we  opened  a  furrow 
with  the  Planet  Jr.  Mike's  eldest  son  followed,  sowing  soil  from  the  old  alfalfa  field  right  in  the  furrow 
and  the  Planet  Jr.  drill  coming  behind  dropped  the  seed  in  the  inoculated  soil  and  covered  it  over.  This 
is  the  finest  field  we  have  ever  seen;  it  has  been  cultivated  with  the  Planet  Jr.  twice  and  the  weeds  have 
been  pulled  out  3  times.  This  is  a  simple  matter  for  it  means  walking  up  and  down  the  rows,  pulling 
out  an  occasional  weed.  The  field  has  been  cut  twice,  yielding  1,500  pounds  first  cutting  and  2,300 
pounds  the  second. 

Another  acre,  where  early  potatoes  were  harvested,  was  sown  in  the  same  manner  in  early  September; 
it  is  doing  just  as  well,  but  our  experience  has  been  that  late  sowings  do  not  get  sufficient  root  hold  to 
withstand  the  heave  and  thaw  of  winter. 

Over  in  the  dairy  plot  where  the  Virginia  horse  tooth  corn  grew  the  first  year,  a  big  crop  of  lima 
beans  was  gathered  last  year.  With  the  last  cultivation  crimson  clover  was  sown,  as  is  the  custom  with 
every  crop  wherever  practicable  each  year.  This  spring  the  fine  tall  stand  of  clover  was  disked  under, 
and  no  other  fertiUzer  whatever  was  used.  Cabbage  and  Brussels  sprouts  were  planted  there  and  it  is 
the  finest  field  of  cabbage  it  has  ever  been  my  pleasure  to  behold.  The  total  cost  of  fertilizing  this  crop 
for  one  year  was  $1.20.  Every  cabbage  and  every  sprout  plant  is  perfect,  the  field  running  way  over 
normal  in  point  of  evenness  of  yield. 

It  has  been  our  custom  to  plant  anything  which  we  have  been  told  will  not  grow  in  this  latitude. 
Among  those  tried  this  year  were  Gibralter  onions,  more  commonly  known  as  Bermuda  or  Prizetaker 
onions.     In  order  that  the  experiment  might  be  complete,  the  Senior  Partner  said  to  Mike  last  winter: 

"In  early  March  sow  some  of  this  seed  in  the  cold  frame,  and  set  the  young  plants  out  as  soon  as 
you  can,  then  sow  the  rest  of  the  seed  in  the  open,  the  same  as  the  other  onions." 

"All  right,  Mr.  Fuller'.  I  see  you  think  it  not  hot  enough  here  for  these  onions.  I  sow  them  in 
hot  bed — he  be  all  right." 

Orders  were  followed  and  both  sowings  of  seed  have  matured  their  crops,  but  the  field  sown  seed  are 
slightly  larger  than  those  transplanted  from  the  cold  frame.  The  latter  matured  earlier,  while  the  field 
sown  grew  larger  after  the  usual  sununer's  dry  spell  and  matured  in  late  September.  These  yielded  at 
the  rate  of  1,035  bushels  to  the  acre.  They  measure  28  to  the  bushel  and  average  2  pounds  each,  some 
weighing  as  heavy  as  214"  pounds,  running  from  16>^  to  19J^  inches  in  circumference  and  averaging  4 
inches  in  thickness.  Needless  to  say  they  will  be  planted  in  quantity  at  both  stations  next  year,  in  1910. 
Our  friend.  Professor  Watts  of  Pennsylvania  State  College,  says  he  purchased  2  onions  about  this  size 
for  35  cents. 

The  Japanese  Udo  has  exceeded  all  our  expectations;  the  summer  growth  is  10  feet  and  the  winter 
shoots  are  large,  strong,  and  deliciously  tender  and  inviting.  Pe-tsai,  the  Chinese  cabbage,  this  year 
headed  marvelously  and  is  a  most  attractive  delicate  head  of  greens  either  cooked  or  raw.  Among  the 
newcomers  on  the  farm  this  year  is  the  South  African  pipe  gourd  or  "Calabash."  The  gourds  grow  with 
great  ease  to  perfection  and  the  following  incident  occurred  just  before  fair  time  this  year. 

"Eliot"  (who  is  one  of  the  efficient,  enthusiastic,  willing,  faithful,  office  force)  "go  into  a  big  pipe 
dealer's  in  New  York  and  ask  them  to  fit  a  mouth-piece  and  band  to  this  pipe.  Bert  (another  member  of 
said  office  force,  who,  by  the  way,  never  know  whether  they  an;  offic'c  men  or  farmers  from  day  to  day, 
work  carrying  them  so  much  from  one  to  the  other)  cut  the  end  off  with  a  hack  saw  last  night,  and  scooped 
the  inside  out.     I  want  to  show  it  mounted  at  the  fair  beside  a  gourd  as  it  comes  from  the  field." 

That  night  Eliot  came  back  with  this  tale. 

"I  took  it  to  the  store  on  Broadway  you  spoke  of  and  the  clerk  looked  at  me  kind  of  queerly  and 
asked  where  I  got  it.     I  told  him  we  raised  it  on  Long  Island  and  he  said  I  was  crazy,  they  were  all 

82 


I  (  \v-licn(ied  .Iapai'p;-e   I'luni.   Tlirtc   \('ars  after   I'lai.tiij 


.la]  ail    I'luiii>    Iruni   Tluee-Yiai-<  11,1    Tv< 


imported  from  South  Africa  and  were  dreadfully  expensive.  I  told  him  that  might  be,  but  I  saw  this 
one  growing  in  the  fields.  He  asked  me  to  wait  until  the  manager  came  in,  which  1  did,  and  he  was 
equally  skeptical  about  my  story,  but  finally  believed  me  when  I  told  him  about  the  work  of  the  Ex- 
perimental Stations.  He  wanted  to  know  how  many  we  had  and  if  we  could  supply  him  with  any  more. 
I  told  him  we  had  a  few  and  I  thought  you  would  grow  more  next  year.  He  is  going  to  v\Tite  to  you  about 
them  and  would  not  take  any  p.ay  for  mounting  this  one." 

"Ail  right,"  said  we,  "a  new  industry  for  Long  Island  and  another  point  scored  for  the  Experimental 
Stations  and  waste  land." 

"Sugar  pumjjkins"  and  "crazy  squash"  from  Italy  are  both  new  and  extremely  good.  Finochio, 
the  Italian  salad  plant,  grows  to  perfection  and  matures  a  fine  crop  of  seed.  These  seeds  are  used  much 
in  the  culinary  delicacies  of  the  Italians,  while  the  leaf  and  stalk  are  used  as  flavoring  for  soups  and  salads. 

A  new  sugar  corn,  Burpee's  "Catawba,"  seems  to  outclass  Golden  Bantam  for  tenderness  and 
sweetness.     In  field  corn  Pedrick's  "Perfected"  seems  to  lead  all  others  in  quality  and  evenness  of  yield. 

The  orchard  gave  samples  of  fruit  the  third  year,  all  samples  were  of  the  very  highest  quality  both 
as  to  flavor  and  color.  The  fourth  year  a  l.ate  frost  caught  many  blossoms,  but  what  fruit  there  was, 
was  marvelous  for  size  and  color.  1  have  never  seen  such  color  on  peaches  and  pears;  Barlletts,  as 
large  and  handsome  as  anything  Oregon  or  California  can  produce,  \\ith  a  flavor  that  these  places  can- 
not put  into  fruit  no  matter  what  the  growers  do.  The  quinces  are  excellent.  Apricots  and  nectarines 
both  set  fruit  and  nearly  matured  them,  then  for  some  unexplained  reason  they  shriveled  and  fell.  I 
hope  we  can  solve  this  mystery.  The  trees  are  all  low  headed  and  are  kept  well  .sprayed.  There  is  not 
not  a  sign  of  San  Jose  scale,  the  principal  fight  is  with  borer.  An  emulsion  of  Carbolineum,  soap,  and 
water  recommended  by  Dr.  Thorne  of  the  Ohio  Experiment  Station,  was  used  this  year  with  great  suc- 
cess. It  was  sprayed  on  the  tree  trunks  only  and  the  bark  is  now  in  excellent  shape  and  the  borers  much 
less  numerous. 

The  "Home  Hamper"  came  to  stay;  the  demand  grow-s  each  year  and  now  both  farms  are  kept 
busy  packing  and  shipping  to  fill  the  orders.  There  has  been  no  advertising  of  them  outside  of  a  notice 
in  one  issue  of  the  "Agronomist."  Each  hamper  is  its  own  best  advertisement;  each  new  customer  is 
pretty  sure  to  bring  2  more. 

Last  winter  we  had  an  interesting  incident.  A  New  York  M.  D.  had  been  receiving  a  weekly 
hamper  (and  from  the  orders  which  came  through  her  recommendation  we  began  to  think  she  was 
prescribing  vegetables  from  "Farm  to  Family  Fresh"  instead  of  medicine).  About  January  1st  we  told 
her  that  shipments  would  have  to  cease  as  the  crops  were  now  reduced  to  a  few  winter  roots.  She 
replied  in  a  piteous  letter  begging  us  to  continue,  "even  if  you  have  nothing  to  send  but  potatoes  and 
cabbage.  I  cannot  buy  such  delicious  vegetables  in  the  city."  She  has  now  had  a  weekly  hamper  for 
a  year  and  a  half  if  not  longer,  without  interruption. 

Her  winter  hampers  have  contained  liberal  portions  of  Witloof  Chicory  or  "Barbe  de  Capucin," 
lettuce,  radishes,  and  young  onions.  Her  continued  demand  inspired  us  to  renewed  efforts  with  cold 
frames,  and  the  Double  Sunlight  Glass  Sash  made  it  possible  for  us  to  supply  her,  without  any  cost  for 
heating  apparatus.  These  sash  are  one  of  the  greatest  inventions  of  the  age.  They  are  built  in  the 
usual  manner  with  the  exception  of  2  thicknesses  of  glass  which  are  separated,  forming  a  dead  air  space 
which  holds  the  temperature  even,  and  holds  in  the  hot  bed  or  cold  frame  the  heat  stored  up  on  every 
bright  day. 

The  surplus  produce  is  still  sent  to  commission  merchants,  but  always  to  hotels,  restaurants,  and 
clubs  first.     We  pack  only  fancy  goods  in  a  fancy  style  and  it  is  still  bringing  the  same  good  prices. 

The  horses,  Texas  and  Buckeye  are  as  sound  as  a  dollar.  In  winter  they  are  fed  on  alfalfa  and 
in  the  spring  they  come  out  fat,  sleek,  and  glossy  and  the  farm  has  been  offered  $350.00  for  Texas,  the 
sorefooted  roman  nosed  buck-skin. 

The  farm  help  has  been  about  the  same.  In  the  winter  Mike  and  his  two  boys  take  care  of  things. 
As  hot  beds  increase,  so  we  can  ship  hampers  all  winter,  Mike  w^ill  have  to  have  one  man  to  help  him. 
In  the  spring  two  Italians  come  to  work  all  summer,  and  August  1st  two  more  go  on  to  help  keep  weeds 
from  seeding,  and  sowing  the  farm  to  ruination;  and  harvest  the  crops.  September  is  given  over  to 
fairs  and  all  hands  work  night  and  day  with  that  extra  work  diu-ing  the  harvesting  time. 

The  third  summer  a  young  Rutger's  college  student  worked  on  the  farm  in  order  to  gain  practical 
experience.     As  fall  drew  near  the  Senior  Partner  said: 

"Well,  Jim,  have  you  gotten  what  you  desired  here?  I  am  sorry  I  could  not  be  with  you  more,  but 
this  confounded  office  work  keeps  me  tied  up." 

"Indeed  I  have,  Mr.  Fullerton,"  was  the  reply;  "this  summer  has  meant  more  to  me  than  a  whole 
term  in  college." 

This  year  a  high  school  student  gained  practical  experience  before  he  and.his  sister  and  mother  went 
to  farming  for  their  livelihood. 

It  is  one  of  our  dreams  to  be  able  to  take  all  the  young  men  who  ask  to  come  to  us  (and  their  number 
is  great  indeed)  and  give  them  practical  experience  in  the  fields.  Many  a  lad  makes  or  breaks  in  his 
first  year  in  the  open;  and  wise  counsel,  good  common  sense,  and  such  comradeship  as  the  Senior  Partner 
can  give  are  worth  much.     Perhaps  our  dream  will  be  realized  at  Experimental  Station  \o.  2. 

Let  us  go  over  to  Medford  now,  leaving  "Peace  and  Plenty"  true  to  name,  more  beautiful  than  ever 
before,  with  the  grove  about  the  house  plot  growing  so  thick  some  trees  will  have  to  be  thinned  out,  the 
vines  and  bushes  at  home  and  luxuriant;  with  a  sense  of  settled  peace  and  comfort  pervading  the  place. 

In  part  IV,  I  spoke  of  Experimental  Station  No.  2.     This  was  established  because  the  wiseacres  said: 

"Oh,  it  is  all  right  Fullerton,  you  can  do  this  kind  of  work  and  make  things  grow  in  this  good  soil 
of  the  North  Shore,  but  you  cannot  do  it  in  the  sands  of  the  center  section.  That  is  burned  over  pine 
and  there  isn't  2  inches  of  soil." 

Therefore  the  worst  10  acres  on  the  main  line  were  picked  out  and  they  lie  at  Medford,  52  miles 
east  of  New  "N'ork  City.  In  order  to  obtain  10  acres  it  was  necessary  to  buy  80,  but  only  10  were  cleared 
and  developed  as  a  market  garden. 

84 


s 


Honiestead  and  Water  Tank  at  No.  2 


No.   2's  Intercropping  the  First   Year 


The  portable  house  used  at  the  fairs  was  placed  on  the  homestead  plot,  a  well  driven  (and  water 
was  reached  at  68  feet,  going  to  74  feet  to  get  well  into  the  vein),  a  tower  built,  another  Secor  engine 
installed  and  barn  erected.  Ted's  friend,  George  Barrett,  with  his  wife  and  two  small  boys  were  placed 
in  the  portable,  and  the  work  of  planting  began. 

In  digging  a  pit  in  the  bunk  house  to  store  the  dynamite  while  clearing,  we  discovered  to  our  sur- 
prise and  joy  that  the  soil  was  four  feet  deep  instead  of  two  inches.  It  is  a  lighter  (more  sandy)  quality 
than  No.  1,  but  sufficient  clay  to  form  an  ideal  early  market  garden  soil,  and  it  is  fully  two  weeks  earlier. 
The  drainage  below  is  just  as  perfect  as  at  No.  1,  so  we  had  no  thought  but  that  "Prosperity  Farm" 
would  equal  "Peace  and  Plenty." 

We  were  sure  this  locality  was  an  ideal  fruit  and  berrv'  territory,  therefore  we  planted  an  acre  of 
orchard  trees,  almost  a  duplicate  of  No.  I's,  with  the  exception  of  a  predominance  of  peaches  where 
No.  I's  orchard  has  a  predominance  of  Japanese  plums.  One-half  acre  was  planted  to  currants  (Fay's 
Prolific,  Cherry,  and  White)  American  gooseberries  (Champion  and  Industry)  and  English  gooseberries 
(Crown  Bob  and  Whitesmith).  One-quarter  acre  was  planted  to  red,  black,  and  yellow  raspberries, 
and  the  following  spring  strawberries  were  set  in  the  orchard  row^s.  These  plots  were  all  experimental, 
for  fruit  bushes  are  expensive  compared  with  seed  and  we  must  prove  to  other's  satisfaction  that  our 
idea  of  a  berr\'  farm  was  correct. 

Ted  and  Walter  joined  the  Barretts  and  made  the  farm  force  of  No.  2.  Exactly  the  same  procedure 
was  followed  as  at  No.  1.  Ten  tons  of  manure  to  the  acre,  wood  ashes,  and  some  lime  were  the  only 
fertilizers  used.  Rye  was  sown  and  turned  under  the  next  spring,  and  the  farm  took  its  place  in  the 
world  in  exactly  the  same  splendid  manner  as  did  "Peace  and  Plenty." 

In  the  spring  one-half  acre  was  planted  to  alfalfa.  It  was  inoculated  with  soil  from  No.  I's  best 
field,  and  surprising  to  say  it  surpassed  the  mother  field  by  a  good  deal. 

In  order  to  secure  a  revenue  from  the  land  the  currants,  gooseberries,  and  raspberries  were  occupy- 
ing, vegetables  were  grown  between  the  rows  of  berry  bushes.  The  same  crops  were  raised  as  at  No.  1, 
and  the  story  of  their  success  is  best  told  by  the  fact  that  they  tied  with  No.  1  in  prize  winning  at  the 
County  fair.     The  following  year  No.  2  won  more  prizes  than  No.  1. 

Currants  and  gooseberries  gave  samples  the  first  season,  great  luscious  berries  of  very  firm  qual'ty, 
and  our  theory  that  this  was  pre-eminently  a  fruit  country  was  proven  correct. 

Therefore,  the  following  fall  (1907),  an  acre  was  planted  with  red,  yellow,  and  black  raspberries, 
red,  white,  and  a  few  black  currants.  A  half  acre  was  planted  with  English  goose-berries  as  we  had 
succeeded  in  raising  these  berries  to  perfection,  controlling  the  blight  fairly  well.  We  felt  sure  that 
earlier  and  more  frequent  sprayings  with  bordeaux  mixture  would  give  us  perfect  fruit. 

In  the  spring  of  1908  our  first  plantings  of  berry  bushes  gave  a  fine  yield,  the  currants  were  ex- 
ceptionally large  and  fine  flavored  and  met  with  an  instant  demand.  The  raspberries  and  American 
gooseberries  did  likewise. 

The  rest  of  the  land  was  planted  to  regular  market  garden  crops,  with  about  one  acre  in  potatoes, 
one-half  acre  in  teosinte  (which  gave  the  horses  green  fodder  all  summer)  and  one-half  acre  in  field  corn. 
Two  express  horses,  "Pennsylvania"  and  "Old  Dominion"  or  "Pennsy"  and  "Dom"  for  short,  were 
purchased  for  $75  each  when  the  farm  work  started.  They  were  fine  big  bays,  but  scratches  on  Pennsy 
and  a  bad  fore  knee  on  Dom  made  them  not  as  fine  a  pair  as  Texas  and  Buckeye.  Good  care  and 
watchfulness  have  kept  them  in  perfect  condition  and  they  are  a  good  team. 

In  December,  1908,  it  had  been  decreed,  that,  as  the  10-acre  market  garden  had  been  such  a  success, 
it  was  wise  to  clear  the  rest  of  the  80-acre  tract  and  take  up  farm  work  proper. 

Ted  had  gone  to  an  advanced  position  at  another  farm,  and  Walter  had  gone  to  the  city  to  learn 
his  father's  trade  (silversmithing),  and  Alfred,  another  Englishman,  had  become  George's  helper;  he 
was  later  replaced  by  Henry  Knight,  an  American. 

Late  in  December  we  had  two  men  come  to  us  asking  for  work  at  the  Experimental  Station.  The 
first  to  apply  was  an  Alsatian  barber,  he  wanted  to  get  out  of  the  confining  work  in  the  city,  and  he 
certainly  looked  as  though  he  would  not  be  able  to  stand  much  more.  He  had  a  wife  and  twins  five 
years  old.  We  told  him  the  only  work  that  season  was  clearing  land,  for  we  had  started  to  cut  the  stand- 
ing trees  and  brush  on  the  balance  of  the  tract. 

"If  you  wish  to  go  out  and  try  it.  Trappier,  and  see  if  you  want  to  stay,  all  right.     If  you  do  we 
will  put  up  a  portable  house  just  like  the  one  already  there  and  you  can  bring  out  the  wife  and  children." 
"All  right.  Mr.  Fullerton,  I  will  go  out  on  January  1st." 

He  did  go  and  in  three  weeks  said  he  would  bring  the  family  and  stay  permanently.  Consequently 
a  five-room  portable  was  purchased  and  erected  to  the  east  of  the  barn  among  a  few  living  oaks  and 
pines. 

The  second  man  was  a  Belgian,  Dominique  Boquet,  who  said  he  wished  to  learn  American  methods 
before  he  and  his  brothers  purcha.sed  a  farm. 

He  was  also  told  that  clearing  land,  the  hardest  kind  of  work,  was  all  that  presented  at  that  season. 
He  took  the  place,  however,  and  worked  lika  a  trojan. 

As  .spring  advanced  we  noticed  George  Barrett  was  not  keeping  up  his  customary  good  work,  but 
as  Mike  had  also  let  down  some  we  thought  George  would  brace  up  again,  especially  as  we  had  decided 
to  live  on  the  farm  ourselves  this  summer  (1909). 

The  farm  had  never  had  us,  except  an  occa.sional  day's  visit  of  a  few  hours  duration.  It  had  been 
conducted  by  voluminous  written  instructions  and  long  distance  telephone;  we  concluded,  however, 
that  this  year  the  office  would  have  to  be  run  in  that  manner  and  the  farm  receive  our  personal  attention. 
A  five-room  and  two-room  portable  were  purchased;  the  larger  placed  behind  the  tower  and  the  smaller 
to  the  north  and  at  right  angles  to  it.  This  we  called  the  "Elbow,"  one  room  was  for  our  good  Nettie, 
w^ho  again  took  up  farm  life  with  us,  and  the  other  room,  ostensibly  for  guests,  was  occupied  all  summer 
by  a  high  school  lad  who  was  undecided  whether  to  take  the  agricultural  course  at  college  or  not,  and 
one  of  the  office  force. 

But  my  pen  runs  too  fast!     George  has  been  given  the  farm  plan  in  the  late  winter;    we  always 


3 


No.   2's  Orchard  in   190i 


I  11.-.1    W-iii   slaiiiiiU-.^   i>i    "riiie    Barrens"    Kertilitv 


make  a  farm  plan,  each  plot  laid  out  to  certain  crops  so  there  C3n  be  no  excuse  for  mistakes.  Three 
days  of  careful  verbal  explanations  accompanied  this  plan  and  the  foreman  was  given  the  "reasons 
why"  for  every  detail. 

There  was  to  be  no  intercroppina;  this  year  as  the  berries  needed  all  the  land  allotted  to  them,  three 
rows  of  strawberries  could,  however,  be  planted  in  the  orchard  rows  without  injury  to  anything.  The 
southeast  acre  was  to  be  put  into  .strawberries,  testing  more  varieties,  and  the  southwest  acre  in  potatoes 
to  be  followed  by  alfalfa,  consequently  was  to  be  dressed  with  lime  very  thoroughly  worked  into  the 
soil.     The  rest  of  the  acreage  was  laid  out  to  market  garden  crops. 

In  May  we  had  a  request  to  tf,ke  on  our  force  a  young  Norwegian  just  landed,  16  years  old.  We 
took  him  as  we  hoped  to  get  considerable  accomplished  in  the  new  land.  We  had  concluded  to  try 
clearing  by  stump  puller,  such  a  how!  had  gone-up  about  the  dynamite  method.  We  succeeded  in 
getting  yi  acre  cleared  free  of  stumps;  this  was  cut  up  with  a  bog  rotary  harrow,  disked,  and  harrowed 
and  planted  wilhoul  any  (erlilizalion  whatever,  with  various  varieties  of  cow  peas,  soy  beans  and  velvet 
beans. 

Holes  were  dug  in  about  one  and  one-half  acres  of  the  land  that  was  cleared  but  not  stumped,  a 
little  manure  placed  in  the  holes  and  melons,  cantaloupes,  squash,  pumpkins,  and  cucumbers  planted. 
We  wanted  to  prove  whether  these  crops  would  net  a  return  on  partially  cleared  land.  I  can  say  right 
here  they  did  not.  It  took  much  longer  to  spray,  the  brush  (which  seems  to  spring  up  over  night) 
had  to  be  cut  abcut  them,  for  the  air  drainage  was  not  good.  The  plot  was  handicapped  by  two 
reasons:  George,  who  was  now  foreman,  had  not  seen  that  the  earth  in  each  hole  had  been  thoroughly 
tramped  so  the  roots  would  have  a  firm  hold,  and  the  nights  of  this  season  were  too  cold  for  the  good 
development  of  these  crops.     A  small  crop  was  gathered,  but  not  sufficient  to  pay. 

In  June  our  hou.se  was  erected,  the  soil  from  the  celler  (three  to  four  feet  under  the  surface)  spread, 
some  manure  forked  into  it  and  on  .June  21th  grass  seed  was  sown.  On  one  plot  to  the  east  of  the  house 
velvet  beans  were  planted  on  this  cellar  soil,  just  to  see  if  it  was  "pizen." 

The  grass  was  up  in  a  few  days,  and  the  la-wn  mower  going  the  last  of  July.  Now  the  lawn  cannot 
be  surpassed  for  thickness  and  richness  of  color.  The  velvet  beans  have  run  riot  over  the  whole  plot, 
the  pods  are  formed  but  will  not  mature  as  they  were  sown  so  late.  The  nodules  on  the  roots  are  great 
wads,  each  one  a  storehouse  of  our  valued  nitrogen.  The  cow  peas  and  soy  beans  have  grown  tremen- 
dously and  furnished  the  richest  kind  of  humus  on  which  to  grow  next  year's  crops. 

And  the  "pizen"'  theory  of  deep  soil  is  once  more  exploded. 

Mrs.  Barrett  was  to  be  cook  for  our  family,  Mrs.  Trappier  taking  Henry,  Dominique,  and  Anon 
Gunderson  (the  Norse  lad)  to  board.  The  Barretts  had  two  more  wee  ones  addeil  to  their  family,  "Pros- 
per" and  "Edith"  so  there  were  with  our  own  little  ones,  and  the  twins,  nine  children  on  the  farm. 

July  1st,  the  hottest  of  hot  days,  saw  us  move  over.  The  painters  had  just  finished  the  house, 
everything  was  at  sixes  and  sevens,  the  baby  resented  the  change,  and  life  to  me,  after  the  labor  of 
leaving  our  home  in  "apple  pie"  order  for  summer  occupants,  was  hardly  worth  living.  A  night's  sleep 
in  the  dear  little  cottage  where  all  the  sweet  night  air  blew  in  about  us  made  the  morning  brighter. 

A  survey  of  the  farm  sent  us  indoors  with  long-drawn,  thoughtful,  faces  and  the  following  con- 
ference between  the  Senior  and  Junior  partners  took  place: 

"By  gracious,  I  don't  see  what  has  come  over  George!  This  farm  has  always  been  the  pink  of 
perfection.  We  told  him  'no  intercropping'  this  year  and  look  at  those  berries!  Potatoes  in  the  rasp- 
berries, beets,  carrots,  and  turnips  in  the  currants,  potatoes  between  the  English  gooseberry  rows  and 
cabbage  and  peppers  between  the  berry  plants.  Five  rows  of  strawberries  where  we  told  him  three, 
and  peas  and  sweet  potatoes  between  the  strawberries!  Ye  Gods  we  had  better  plow  the  whole  farm 
up  and  start  over.     This  is  a  corker  and  I  ought  to  be  discharged!" 

"Steady  there!  This  is  a  corker,  but  let's  try  to  find  the  reason.  There  are  many.  First  he 
has  three  men  under  him  and  he  doesn't  know  how  to  direct  the  work  and  oversee  it  himself,  he  goes 
ahead  and  does  a  staving  day's  work  and  never  sees  what  the  other  men  are  at.  Next,  the  baby  is  little 
and  maybe  his  wife  has  up.set  him  some,  she  has  a  frightful  temper.  Next  Dominique  and  Trappier 
who  are  Socialists  and  Anarchists  have  probably  beeji  telling  him  how  to  do  things." 

"You're  right,  there  are  many  reasons;  my  main  duty  this  summer  is  to  teach  George  how  to 
be  a  foreman." 

Just  one  week  and  it  was  evident  Mrs.  Barrett  would  never  do  as  a  cook,  though  heretofore  she  had 
always  served  us  good  meals  when  we  went  to  the  farm.  The  children  were  dirty  and  absolutely  lawless, 
there  was  quarreling  between  them  and  the  Trappier  twins  and  things  were  anything  but  pleasant. 

The  drought  had  enabled  a  brush  fire,  started  and  forgotten  in  the  center  of  the  island  to  the  west 
of  us,  tn  spread  and  become  a  ravaging  forest  blaze,  high  winds  swept  it  galloping  over  the  country, 
threatening  everything  in  its  way.  On  July  4th  all  hands  went  out  and  fought  it  along  the  west  fire 
line  which  had  been  planted  to  corn  (.sweet  corn,  of  all  things),  but  never  cultivated,  and  at  this  time 
of  all  others,  the  pump  rods  in  the  well  had  parted  leaving  us  unable  to  get  water,  and  the  irrigation 
had  nearly  d.'-ained  the  tank. 

That  night  our  Aledford  neighbors  responded  well  to  our  invitation  to  view  the  fireworks.  They 
were  gorgeous  with  a  forest  fire  as  a  background. 

The  night  of  the  5th  a  very  bright  blaze  started  up  at  the  north  of  the  80-acre  strip — which  by  the 
way  is  only  r>  acres  wide.  All  hands  started  out  to  fight  it;  in  an  hour  we  women  folk  knew  how  hot 
and  tired  they  must  be,  so  in  our  innocent  hearts  Nettie  and  I  started  out  with  a  pail  of  water  and  a 
lantern  across  the  scrub  land.  We  walked  it  seemed  for  eternity,  hallooing  as  we  went.  Finally  we 
got  a  response  and  met  them  returning  having  protected  the  north  bound  by  back  firing.  The  fire  went 
east  and  toward  morning  apparently  died  out. 

On  the  (jth  the  Senior  Partner  went  to  the  Connecticut  Agricultural  College  at  Storrs  to  address 
the  summer  class,  and  I  to  Huntington  to  pass  on  the  final  proof  of  the  "Agronomist."  I  had  hardly 
settled  to  work  when  Nettie's  voice  came  over  the  'phone  saying: 

"The  forest  fires  have  come  up  again  and  are  coming  along  the  east  line,  the  men  are  trying  to 

89 


back  fire  and  are  playing  the  hose  on  the  barn  and  Trappier  cottage.  The  smoke  is  so  bad  may  I  take 
the  children  across  the  track  to  one  of  the  vacant  houses?" 

"Yes,  indeed,  take  some  food  and  milk  for  the  baby  and  I  will  be  there  just  as  quick  as  I  possibly 
can.     I  will  go  by  the  way  of  Port  Jefferson  and  drive  over." 

"Don't  worry,  everj'thing  is  all  right  only  the  smoke  is  choking  us  all." 

I  returned  about  3:30  and  everything  had  settled  down  again,  the  fire  had  been  close  because  the 
high  wind  drove  it  into  the  high  trees  and  the  burning  leaves  and  pine  needles  blew  great  distances. 
The  greatest  fight  was  to  save  our  next-door  neighbors  who  are  almost  surrounded  by  woods. 

Dominique  Boquet  was  becoming  restive,  he  w?s  explaining  to  us  continually  that  everything 
was  done  wTong,  that  the  Belgian  methods  were  much  the  best  and  intensive,  super-intensive  methods 
were  the  only  ones  to  follow.  Here  lay  one  possible  reason  for  George's  disobedience  to  planting  orders. 
Finally,  one  day  in  late  July,  he  said: 

"Mr.  Fullerton  I  did  not  know  I  was  expected  to  do  hard  work;  I  thought  I  was  to  go  around  the 
farm  once  a  day  and  report  what  was  growing." 

"Well,  Dominique,  I  guess  Mrs.  Fullerton  and  I  can  take  care  of  that.  What  did  you  think  when 
you  came  out  here  to  clear  land?" 

"Well,  anyhow  this  farm  is  all  wrong  and  I  think  I  should  correct  the  errors."  (He  spoke  good 
English). 

"You're  right  this  farm  is  all  wrong,  it  is  one  of  the  worst  farms  I  have  ever  seen,  and  I  am  rather 
of  the  opinion  you  are  partly  responsible  for  it. 

"Well,  I  can't  stay  and  work  like  this  any  longer." 

"All  right,  the  team  is  going  down  to  the  3:30  train  and  you  can  go  along." 

"All  right,  sir,"  and  he  promptly  packed  his  belongings,  filled  every  box  and  sack  he  could  find 
with  greens  from  his  own  little  garden  patch  and  departed  in  peace.  We  have  heard  from  him  in  many 
parts  of  the  country  since.     I  guess  he  is  a  rover  by  instinct. 

Mrs.  Barrett  had  become  hysterical  and  was  childishly  uncontrollable;  she  went  from  bad  to  wors3 
and  we  concluded  she  had  all  she  could  manage  to  take  care  of  her  four  small  children. 

Mis.  Trappier  took  us  in  until  we  could  get  someone  else,  and  establish  our  dining-room  in  Henry's 
house,  which  was  the  cottage  used  at  the  fairs  in  190S. 

In  a  week's  time  the  back  porch  had  been  enclosed  for  a  kitchen  and  Walter  Jayne  (who  had  been 
helping  the  painter  and  who  was  out  of  work)  and  his  young  German  wife  came  to  us  and  were  installed 
in  this  cottage.  This  necessitated  Henry  and  Anon  moving  into  the  tower  (which  was  to  have  been  an 
office)  and  a  general  "all  hands  change." 

George  was  not  improving,  in  fact  was  growing  worse.  Berry  pickers — youngsters  from  Medford 
— were  keeping  us  busy  to  superintend,  and  as  each  basket  (pints  for  raspberries  and  quarts  for  goose- 
berries and  currants)  were  lined  with  paraffin  paper,  it  was  one  person's  task  to  fix  the  baskets.  There 
were  .«igns  of  mutiny  from  George,  which  were  encouraged  if  not  absolutely  inspired  by  his  wife,  so  they 
were  dismis.sed  on  August  1st.  It  has  been  hard  for  us  to  realize  that  a  young  fellow  who  advanced 
so  rapidly  in  his  place,  who  had  the  chance  to  become  foreman  of  the  80-acre  farm,  who  could  have 
risen  to  any  height  he  chose  in  his  profession,  could  become  so  utterly  ruined  by  a  little  prosperity. 
The  few  conversations  that  Dick,  the  eldest  child,  had  with  the  Senior  Partner  showed  us  that  a  mis- 
taken idea  of  prosperity  had  upset  them  some  time  before. 

"]\Ir.  Fullerton,"  in  his  childish  English  drawl,  "when  are  you  going  home?" 

"Why,  Dick?     I  guess  I  won't  go  home  at  all." 

"'Cause  we  want  to  go  out  in  our  yacht,  same  as  we  did  last  summer." 

Yachting  at  Patchogue,  four  miles  to  the  south,  was  responsible  for  part  of  the  farm  ruin. 

"Mr.  Fullerton,  we  are  going  to  have  bicycles,  me  and  'Francy'  and  'Prosper.'  They's  going  to 
be  nicer  than  Hope's.  And  we's  going  to  have  a  nice  automobile,  not  an  old  one  like  yours.  And  we's 
going  to  have  three  horses  nicer  than  Dom  and  Pennsy." 

Such  were  the  ideas  being  instilled  into  the  minds  of  these  poor  children,  whose  mother  neither 
fed,  clothed  nor  cleaned  them  properly.  We  often  wonder  whether  George  would  not  have  prospered 
with  a  good,  sensible  level-headed  wife,  for  away  from  her  influence  he  seemed  to  be  a  fine  fellow.  Oh, 
man  is  by  no  means  to  blame  for  all  of  the  evils  of  this  world! 

The  automobile  story  is  too  long  to  dwell  upon.  Suffice  to  say  the  one  purchased  for  our  use 
between  the  farms  which  is  14  miles  by  road  and  loO  by  rail  was  unable  to  travel  in  the  heavy  sandy 
roads  of  the  little  used  territory  lying  between  the  ftirms  and  showed  characteristics  which  soon  gave 
it  the  name  "Mud  Turtle."  A  beautiful  road  mare,  promptly  named  "Pomona,"  took  its  place;  she 
covers  the  distance,  which  is  very  hilly,  in  about  two  hours. 

Henry  Knight,  who  was  the  senior  worker  on  the  farm,  was  promoted  to  foreman.  He  shrank 
much  from  the  responsibility,  coupled  with  the  fact  that  the  farm  was  in  such  dreadful  shape,  but  we 
urged  and  supported  him  and  he  is  making  good  at  every  point. 

Trappier  next  showed  .signs  of  mutiny.  One  cow  had  been  placed  in  the  dynamite  shed  which 
had  been  moved  near  the  barn.  A  second  cow  was  purchased  when  a  neighbor,  whose  son  met  a  tragic 
death,  came  and  told  us  that  she  must  get  away  to  recover  her  balance  and  could  not  leave  the  cow  with 
her  old  father. 

We  held  council. 

"What  shall  we  do?     Neither  of  us  is  cow-wise  and  we  may  get  dreadfully  stuck." 

"I  am  willing  to  take  the  risk  if  you  are  for  the  sake  of  this  poor  creature.  If  the  cow  is  no  good 
we  can  sell  her  for  beef  and  you  and  I  will  be  out  of  pocket  but  the  farm  will  not  suffer." 

"I'll  go  you,"  was  the  reply. 

So  "Sandy"  became  one  of  the  community,  and  the  following  Sunday  gave  us  a  daughter  "Sunday." 
Sandy  is  all  right  and  is  a  better  milk  and  butter  producer  than  "Wynde,"  who  is  a  registered  Guernsey. 

'Trappier  was  given  charge  of  the  cows,  chickens,  and  pigs.     He  was  the  most  pessimistic  human 

90 


being  I  have  ever  met.  Being  an  anarchist  he  was,  of  course,  an  atheist,  therefore  there  was  no  "meum 
and  teum"  to  him.  The  same  lawlessness  was  instilled  into  the  children,  but  as  little  ones  are  quick 
to  "follow  the  leader"  they  became  tractable  and  lovable  while  we  were  at  the  farm.  As  soon  as  we 
left  they  reverted. 

Many  times  we  asked  Henry  if  we  should  let  Trappier  go,  and  each  time  he  wished  to  give  him 
another  trial.  Finally  rank  mutiny  and  worse  made  it  necessary  to  dismiss  him  peremptorily  the  last 
of  September.     His  place  was  instantly  filled  by  a  high  class  Russian  from  the  south  of  Russia. 

"Is  he  all  right?"  I  asked  the  Senior  Partner.  "I  am  so  tired  of  these  people  who  have  come 
to  us  from  charitable  organizations  and  industry  settlements,  that  I  am  skeptical  about  anyone  now." 

"His  eyes  are  fine  and  he  has  a  good  bearing.  He  is  quiet  and  industrious  and  half  starved.  He 
has  been  working  for  a  man  who  paid  him  almost  nothing  and  fed  him  less.  Before  that  he  came  out 
from  the  city  with  a  contractor  who  owes  him  $200.00,  but  as  the  contractor  puts  all  his  property  in  his 
wife's  name  it  is  no  use  to  sue  him." 

"My,  what  hardship,  and  there  seems  no  redress.  Modern  business  methods  sound  much  like  the 
fall  of  Rome.     I  wonder  what  we  are  coming  to!" 

My  story  has  outrun  me.     We  will  have  to  go  back  to  farm  operations. 

Raspberries  came  in  by  the  crate,  60  pints  to  the  crate.  They  were  shipped  to  private  customers 
were  put  in  hampers  and  went  to  commission  merchants,  restaurants,  hotels,  and  clubs.  The  smallest 
sum  we  ever  received  was  four  cents  a  pint.  We  paid  one  cent  a  pint  for  picking,  and  two  cents  a  quart 
for  gooseberries  and  currants.  We  picked  797  quarts  of  raspberries  this  season  from  three-quarters  of 
an  acre  of  bushes.  This  is  their  first  heavy  yield,  and,  as  potatoes  had  been  planted  in  the  rows  the 
berries  received  no  cultivation. 

The  English  gooseberries  had  been  sprayed  very  early  in  the  season  with  bordeaux  and  later  with 
sulphide  of  potassium  (or  liver  of  sulphur)  a  pint  to  30  gallons  of  water.  There  was  a  big  crop  of  the 
most  gorgeous  fruit.  The  bushes  averaged  a  quart  each  and  these  sold  at  wholesale  for  12  cents  a 
quart.  There  was  absolutely  no  mildew  upon  them,  so  we  have  fought  our  fight  and  won.  American 
gooseberries  were  way  over  average,  currants  also  and  we  could  have  sold  bushels  more  than  we  raised 
to  those  who  want  them  for  preserving. 

The  bushes  had  been  so  robbed  of  their  feed  by  the  intercropping  and  also  by  the  fact  that  George 
had  not  placed  the  manure  about  them  that  he  had  been  instructed  to,  that  they  were  losing  all  their 
leaves.  We  took  out  the  intercrops  just  as  soon  as  we  could,  and  in  the  meantime  gave  each  bush  a 
strong  mulch  of  manure  well  forked  in.  This  fall  they  have  sent  out  new  leaves,  and  are  looking  ex- 
tremely well  again. 

The  onion  patch  showed  signs  of  thrip  in  June;  this  is  a  minute,  I  might  say  microscopic  insect, 
which  attacks  the  leaves.  It  unfortunately  comes  with  our  seed  now,  another  inheritance  from  in- 
breeding and  raising  the  same  crop  on  the  same  land  years  in  succession.  Rain  or  moisture  is  their 
cure,  so  we  determined  to  try  irrigation  upon  them. 

A  line  of  Skinner  irrigation  pipe  was  run  down  the  middle  of  the  patch.  This  clever  system  con- 
sists of  a  line  of  galvanized  pipe  starting  from  our  main  one  inch  in  diameter  and  reduced  in  about  two 
lengths  to  three-fourths  of  an  inch.  Every  four  feet  a  hole  is  drilled  with  Mr.  Skinner's  ingenious  hand 
drill  which  is  fitted  with  a  spirit  level  in  order  that  holes  will  be  in  perfect  alignment.  A  tiny  brass  nozzle 
is  screwed  into  these  holes  with  an  outlet  hole  about  the  size  of  the  point  of  a  hat  pin. 

Where  the  line  of  pipe  joins  the  standard  intake  pipe,  is  a  movable  joint.  This  permits  of  the 
turning  of  the  entire  line  of  pipe  (208  feet)  so  that  the  water  spraying  from  the  tiny  nozzles  may  be  made 
to  fall  at  any  desired  angle.  By  turning  the  pipe  so  that  the  nozzles  lie  from  nearly  horizontal  to  per- 
pendicular, the  entire  surface  of  from  25  to  50  feet,  according  to  the  pressure  of  water,  will  be  covered 
with  a  fine  rain.  Then  by  turning  the  pipe  over  to  the  opposite  side  another  strip  is  watered  in  the 
same  way.  In  order  to  see  what  the  sprayings  would  do  we  u.sed  it  only  on  one  side  of  the  line  of  pipe. 
The  first  spraying  lasted  two  and  one-half  hours,  two  days  later  one  and  one-half  hours.  Then  we  had 
onions  bulbing  with  tops  turned  green,  while  the  unirrigated  side  produced  only  young  bunch  onions  with 
yellowing  tops.  Whether  the  seed  was  mixed  or  George  dreadfully  or  maliciously  careless  in  planting 
we  will  never  know;  suffice  to  say  we  harvested  five  varieties  of  onions  among  the  leeks. 

Another  irrigation  pipe  in  the  alfalfa  field  made  it  jump  so  in  two  days  we  could  begin  cutting  over 
again.  One  would  expect  the  sprayings  to  improve  the  crop,  but  the  rapidity  with  which  it  grew  fairly 
took  our  breath  away.  A  short  line  in  a  little  patch  of  rhubarb  made  it  possible  for  us  to  send  this 
delicious  fruit  in  our  hampers  nearly  all  summer. 

Another  line  at  the  east  of  the  orchard  gave  us  lettuce  and  spring  radishes  all  summer.  We  hope 
to  have  at  least  5  acres  at  each  farm  covered  with  irrigation  pipes  next  year. 

Among  the  new  vegetables  produced  at  Xo.  2  this  year  are  superb  Pe-tsai  (Chinese  cabbage). 
The  heads  were  as  solid  as  rocks  and  weighed  10  pounds.  It  is  a  new  strain  and  the  credit  is  due  to  Prof. 
Myers  who  has  been  Agricultural  Explorer  in  North  China  for  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture. 

There  is  a  glorious  bed  of  sea  kale  ready  to  produce  next  spring  early,  for  use  in  the  hampers. 
This  is  a  delicate  blanched  stalk  which  can  be  used  the  same  as  asparagus,  and  is  delicious;  it  is  ready 
much  before  asparagus  and  is  a  great  addition  to  our  food  supply. 

"Second  crop  potatoes"  are  also  a  new  stunt,  and  to  Mr.  Wm.  Bodly,  president  of  the  Double 
Sunlight  Glass  Sash  Co.,  we  are  indebted  for  them.  It  is  a  Kentucky  trick;  they  hold  the  seed  potatoes 
dormant  in  cold  storage  until  late  summer.  When  planted  they  make  extra  rapid  growth,  and  our 
crop  of  "New  Queen"  and  "Cobbler"  planted  July  29th  yielded  70  bushels  to  the  acre  of  Bermuda 
potatoes  on  September  29th,  just  two  months. 

Mr.  Andre  Bustanoby,  of  the  famous  Cafe  and  Chateau  des  Beaux  Arts,  says  in  a  letter:  "All  the 
vegetables  were  up  to  the  L.  I.  R.  R.  Experimental  Stations  .standard,  which  means  the  best  there  are, 
but  those  Bermuda  potatoes  were  particularly  excellent."     Higher  praise  than  this,  there  is  none! 

And  so  we  add  a  new  industry  to  our  Island  farmers'  list. 

Let  me  say  here,  that  the  neighbors  and  others  who  first  scoffed  at  us,  who  thought  we  were  "book 


farmers"  and  upstarts  coming  to  teach  us  "who  have  faT;rried  man  aQ4  J>oy,."  how  to  run  our  business, 
and  who  looked  on  us  as  f,n  insult  to  them,  hive  ail  come  ur  \vr\t,Aeii  th  Msl-in'g  ui  for!  tKe  J-e,.)  aid  the  farms 
have  been,  and  now  look  upon  them  .as  their  best  friend.'  iSTeed  iihyone  ask' iio-i\,' "HAVe  the  Experi- 
mental Stations  paid?"  Indeed  yes,  a  thousand  fold,  in  this  way  at  least,  if  not  in  money,  and  they  have 
paid  a  h.andsome  percent  .of  real  money  on  the  investment  each  year  in  spite  of  the  great  handicap  of  _so 
much  experimental  work,  a  big  ofTice  sala  y  h-  Ip  and  the  "Agronomist." 

The  orchard,  this  its  third  year,  "did  itself  proud."  One  apple,  a  Yellow  Transparent,  gpve'us 
14  perfect  specimens.  This  is  remarkable  for  a  three-year-old  tree.  The  Japanese  plums  did  very 
well,  especially  the  Wickson,  which  is  considered  a  shy  bearer.  The  Burbanks  were  not  so  full  of  fruit 
except  an  occasional  tree,  and  the  Satsumas  developed  a  new  and  unheard  of  blight  which  the  Senior 
Partner  dubbed  "spectacle  spot."     Sulphide  of  potasium  soon  put  an  end  to  it,  but  the  fruit  was  marred. 

The  peaches,  Ye  Gods!  what  peaches.  First  to  come  were  Greensboro,  grent,  handsome  beauties, 
with  the  flavor  one  dreams  of  but  seldom  realizes;  next  came  Carmen,  also  delicious;  then  Champion, 
Belle  of  Georgia,  Crosby,  Everbepring,  Hill's  Chili,  Hemphill,  and  Klondyke.  Carmen  and  Champion 
were  superb  from  every  point.  Belle  of  Georgia  very  good  and  tremendously  prolific.  Crosby,  Hill's 
Chili,  Klondyke,  and  Hemphill  good,  and  as  they  ripen  very  late  they  are  to  be  highly  prized.  We 
gathered  peaches  from  the  middle  of  July  to  the  middle  of  October. 

The  grapes — ju-st  a  few  set  along  the  front  walk  as  a  trial — were  so  superb  we  have  decided  to  set 
out  an  acre  of  them.  Some  of  them,  with  the.  peaches,  won  prizes  at  the  fair  and  thyt  speaks  much,  for 
they  competed  with  old  established  vines. 

The  varieties  included  Niagara,  Delaware,  Catawba,  Brighton,  Worden,  Agawam,  Salem,  Wilder 
and  Campbell's  Early. 

This  fall  the  "Elbow"  or  little  two-room  portable  which  constituted  a  portion  of  our  house,  went 
to  the  County  fairs.  As  usual  it  was  crowded  with  visitors,  not  skeptics,  as  we  found  the  first  year, 
but  friends  of  ours,  coming  in  the  spirit  of  neighborliness  to  tell  us  of  their  successes  and  confer  with'us 
about  their  failures 

The  South  African  "Calabash"  or  pipe  gourd  (the  gourds  as  they  grow  hung  upon  the  wall,  and 
a  curved  stem  end  of  one  f  tted  with  a  mouth-piece,  forming  the  now  "classy"  and  expensive  pipe  of  the 
wealthy);  butter  from  the  alfalfa-fed  cows,  French  musk  melons,  Japanese  musk  melons.  Bermuda 
onions,  Bermuda  potatoes,  Japanese  pumpkin  "Chirmeu,"  Catawba  sweet  corn,  Swiss  chard,  lemon 
cucumbers,  finochio,  martynia,  okra,  and  Sakurajima  radish,  together  with  the  superb  fruit  from  the 
three-year  old  trees  and  grapevines  held  the  center  of  the  stage. 

Both  farms  entered  in  competition  at  the  Suffolk  County  Fair,  and  we  were  delighted  when  they 
were  forced  to  take  second  and  third  prizes  and  step  aside  altogether  in  some  cases.  The  farmers  are 
at  work,  they  are  producing  better  goods  all  the  time,  and  I  think  we  may  justly  feel  that  the  Experi- 
mental Stations  have  stimulated  their  ambition.  No.  1  won  30  prizes,  and  No.  2,  beca,use  of  George's 
disobedience  to  orders  won  only  14  prizes.  The  exhibit  of  vegetables  in  competition  was  said  to  be  the 
finest  ever  shown,  while  the  judges  were  driven  almost  to  distraction  trying  to  decide  which  cauliflower 
was  the  most  perfect  of  a  host  of  perfect  ones. 

Success  was  repeated  at  the  Queens-Nassau  County  Fair,  only  for  some  peculiar  reason  fruits 
and  vegetables  alone  are  barred  from  competition  if  not  raised  in  either  of  these  counties.  The  little 
cottage  in  its  pretty  setting  of  oak  trees  was  thronged  each  day. 

At  the  American  Institute,  New  York  City,  8  prizes  were  won.  Here  the  competition  is  against 
estates  and  men  whose  entire  income  is  derived  from  just  such  exhibits  and  who  raise  as  many  varieties 
as  possible  for  exhibition  only. 

At  Huntington,  where  we  were  so  unfortunate  among  our  neighbors  the  first  year  as  to  be  barred 
from  competition  after  we  had  entered  in  all  classes,  we  won  first  prize  on  collection  of  6  vegetables. 
This  was  all  we  entered  and  I  was  surprised  at  the  Senior  Partner  for  sending  anything  at  all,  for  one  of 
his  favorite  sayings  is  "no  sheep  can  bite  me  twice  and  live." 

As  the  clearing  went  so  slowly  h'.,st  winter,  it  was  necessary  to  get  outside  help  to  do  it  for  us.  There 
is  an  Islander  who  has,  for  a  long  time,  claimed  that  he  could  clear  land  much  cheaper  and  much 
better  with  a  stump  puller  than  by  dynamite.  We  determined  to  have  it  proven  to  us  and  therefore 
signed  a  contract  with  him  to  do  the  land  at  about  two-thirds  what  it  cost  by  dynamite,  and  the  contract 
included  the  following  item  made  at  his  .suggestion,  which  was,  that  10  acres  should  be  cleared,  the 
stumps  burned,  the  land  plowed,  harrowed,  and  seeded  down  to  rye  (we  t)  furnish  seed)  in  30  days.  It 
is  now  TiO  days,  and  the  stumps  are  partially  out  of  about  2  acres,  there  is  no  plowing  or  harrowing  done 
yet,  in  fact  the  remaining  roots  are  so  numerous  it  is  almost  impossible  to  plow. 

Dynamiters  go  in  next  week  and  we  hope  to  have  at  least  20  acres  ready  for  use  next  spring. 

The  30-foot  fire  line  is  now  being  cultivated  with  di.'JC  harrow  to  prevent  autumn  forest  fires  from 
reaching  the  Experimental  Station  plot.     This  will  be  seeded  down  to  rye  for  a  crop  next  spring 

The  two  cows  have  lived  all  summer  mainly  on  one-half  acre  of  alfalfa.  A  little  sugar  corn  in 
the  fire  line,  and  some  of  the  tops  of  the  cow  peas  and  soy  beans,  have  completed  the  green  food  for  them. 
Now  we  start  on  a  model  dairy  barn,  just  a  small  one  to  begin  with,  but  so  arranged  that  the  herd  can  be 
increased  with  but  little  expense  for  a  JJition  li  building.  The  building  will  be  of  hollow  tile,  with  stucco 
surface,  all  modern  fittings;  a  silo  9  feet  in  diameter  with  separate  feed  and  wash-rooms.  A  milk 
and  butter  house  will  be  erected  near  by.  This  will  also  be  concrete  construction  and  the  floor  four 
feet  below  the  surface  of  the  ground.  Ventilators  in  both  buildings  will,  of  course,  be  installed.  The 
stanchions  will  be  of  wood,  painted  with  two  coats  and  a  third  coal  of  enamel  which  will,  we  feel,  make 
them  germ  proof.  The  floor,  dropping  gutter,  and  feed  trough  will  all  be  of  concrete;  iron  pipe  stall 
fittings,  overhead  litter  and  feed  curriers.  Windows  hinged  at  the  bottom  and  swinging  in  will  give 
good  ventilation. 

The  farms  have  lived  their  simple  life:  they  have  worked  up  from  the  simplest  outfit  including 
houses,  farm  implements  and  small  corps  of  help.     They  have  prospered  and  "made  good"  and  just  as 

93 


any  man  starting  out  in^asipipla'syay  would faXanch  out  when  he  prospered,  so  now  the  farms  are  branch- 
ing out.  A  nJaniiF^'Ipl'^deB,  pI)te,toIdis^er^ ind  grain  drill  have  been  added  to  each  station,  more  help 
for  the  increai?ed* acreage  at^v^o?  2,* and  now  a  homestead,  a  real  farm  cottage  is  to  go  up  on  the  home- 
stead plot  for  our  occupancy.  Xo.  2  will  require  most  of  our  time,  but  No.  1  can  be  reached  easily 
and  quickly  from  it. 

The  selling  problem  is  being  solved,  the  farms  are  gaining  their  market  just  as  any  business  enter- 
prise would  have  to  gain  its  market.  Customers  come  to  our  doors,  hotels,  restaurants  and  clubs  ask 
for  our  produce  and  commission  men  vie  with  each  other  to  secure  our  goods.  Witness,  an  extract 
from  a  letter  just  received  from  Waterman  &  Co.,  New  York  City: 

"We  have  received  the  various  sliipments  which  you  have  made  to  us,  and  we  congratulate  you 
upon  the  very  fine  results  you  are  getting.  The  goods  are  certainly  the  finest  to  be  seen  in  this  market 
and  we  only  wish  we  could  procure  this  kind  of  produce  for  our  entire  business." 

A  small  canner  will  be  in  operation  at  No.  2  ne.xt  year  to  put  into  another  form  any  surplus  the  farm 
may  yield.  Our  tomatoes  are  all  carefully  sorted  ;  nd  packed  in  four-quart  baskets,  six  baskets  to  the 
crate.  No  misshapen  or  dead  ripe  fruit  is  allowed  to  go  into  these  packages;  the  consequence  is  there 
remains  a  large  quantity  of  perfectly  good  food  which  must  go  to  waste  unless  canned  or  made  into 
catsup.     Corn,  beans,  peas,  beets,  etc.,  can  be  saved  in  the  same  way. 

Often  a  large  picking  of  berries  is  necessary  (in  order  to  keep  the  vines  producing)  on  Saturday. 
It  is  not  wise  to  ship  this  fruit  on  ^londay,  but  it's  especially  good  to  go  into  preserves,  jams,  and  jellies. 

I  cannot  close  without  a  further  allusion  to  the  "Agronomist."  At  this  writmg  it  reaches  a  cir- 
culation of  7,500  and  is  gratis  to  anvone  desiring  it,  who  writes  to  the  office  at  Medford,  Long  Island, 
N.  Y. 

May  we  be  pardoned  for  quoting  from  a  letter  received  lately  from  the  editor  of  the  "Railroad 
Age  Gazette."     We  are  proud  of  our  leaflet  as  anyone  should  be  proud  of  success. 

"I  think  the  'Agronomist'  is  the  brightest  publication  that  comes  to  this  office.  I  find  it  regularly 
on  my  desk  and  it  mesmerizes  me.  I  can't  indulge  in  the  luxury  of  any  other  business  in  comfort  until 
I  have  read  it  through.     It  ought  to  be  an  effective  agent  in  promoting  your  pioneering  scheme." 

Space  is  cutting  me  short,  and  "the  half  is  not  yet  told."  Each  year  of  each  farm  constitutes  a 
volume  in  itself.  I  trust  you  have  gained  some  idea  of  the  development  of  the  work,  that  you  realize 
the  soil,  by  constantly  returning  humus  alone  to  it,  is  growing  richer  and  more  productive  each  year, 
that  the  farms  are  adding  new  vegetables  and  fruits  as  profitable  crops  to  our  Island  neighbors  (and  in 
fact  to  all  the  world)  by  our  numerous  experiments,  that  the  farms  stand  in  fact  for  "Peace,  Plenty" 
and  "Prosperity." 


Tlu'   "Hinl   P.iitli"   ;it    Ni 


Vol.  Ill,  Number  7 


October  20,  1909 


Lor\g  IslaiAcI  Agror\orT\ist 


A  Fortnightly  Record  of  Facts 

Together  With  Deductions  Based  Upon  Natures  Practical  Demonstrations 

Compiled  by  Hal   B.   and  Edith  Loring'   Fullerton 
Publication  office,   Huntington,   Long'  Island,  New  York 


"I  do  the  verj'  best  I  know  how — the  very  best  I  can;  and  I  mean  to  keep  doing  so  until 
the  end."  — Abraham  Lincohi. 

Current  Gleanings 

When  our  food  furnishers,  one  by  one,  show  that  they  have  finished  the  work  set 
apart  by  Nature  for  each  of  them  to  do,  when  the  flowers  and  trees  show  plainly  that 
having  matured  their  seeds  and  made  certain  the  continuance  of  their  species  they 
are  preparing  for  the  rest  they  have  earned,  we  two  partners  invariably  size  up  our 
work  to  see  if  we  have  done  our  level  best  to  accomplish  our  share  of  that  portion  of 
Life's  Lot  that  has  been  placed  in  our  care. 

This  train  of  thought  gives  rise  to  multitudes  of  thoughts,  to  plans  for  bigger 
achievements  when  plant  growth  starts  anew,  this,  coupled  as  it  is  with  crop  time, 
makes  the  doleful  drawl  of  dyspeptics  and  pessimists  seem  silly. 

Full  well  we  know  that  like  ourselves  the  "modern  methods"  soil  tillers  of  Long 
Island  are  chanting  something  Hke  this: 

The  merry,  merry  days  are  here. 

Most  joyous  of  the  year. 
For  the  bins  are  full  of  fodder, 

And  the  farm  is  mortgage  clear. 

A  little  later  will  come  the  never  failing  chorus  from  Long  Lsland  savings  banks, 
setting  forth  the  big  annual  increase  in  soil  tillers'  deposits. 

This  year  they  will  soar  higher  than  ever,  for  the  Long  Island  Railroad's  1909 
tonnage  for  September  shows  22,873  tons  of  potatoes,  cauhfiower,  and  cucumbers 
by  freight  alone,  against  10,824  tons  handled  in  September,  1905;  and  train  loads  of 
potatoes  and  cauhfiower  are  still  awaiting  gathering;  further,  express  shipments  are 
not  included  in  above  figures.  A  great  portion  of  this  increase  is  known  to  be  directly 
due  to  the  practical  demonstrations  of  the  Railroad's  Experimental  Stations  of  spray 
value,  deeper  plowing,  thorough  cultivation,  the  substitution  of  barn-yard  manure 
legumes  and  cover  crops  for  chemical  fertilizers,  which  once  threatened  to  lure  our 
Island  neighbors  into  that  "Fool's  Paradise"  which  invariably  results  in  "Abandoned 
Farms."  This  shows  also  that  Long  Island  is  coming  into  her  own  with  startling 
rapidity.  Foreigners  brought  here  by  the  successful  showing  of  the  Experimental 
Stations,  are  by  their  own  success,  attracting  their  relatives  and  neighbors  to  a  newly 
discovered  golconda  where  nature  has  brought  together  all  the  factors  most  favorable 
to  an  immense  range  of  plant  growth  that  it  might  feed  the  many  millions  populating 
New  York  City,  destined  to  be  the  largest  in  the  world. 

The  Long  Island  Agronomist  will   be   sent   upon   request   to   anyone,   anywliere,   without   fear, 
favor,   or   finance. 


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